The feds are probing Waymo's behavior around school children

It's not clear if Waymo was at fault for striking a child at 6 mph.

This post originally appeared in Understanding AI.

“When I read that response, I feel that Waymo cares more about expanding operations and having a rosy story to tell investors than children’s safety.”

Two weeks ago, a Waymo driverless vehicle struck a child near Grant Elementary School in Santa Monica, California. In a statement today, Waymo said that the child “suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV.” Waymo says its vehicle immediately slammed on the brakes, but wasn’t able to stop in time. The child sustained minor injuries but was able to walk away from the scene.

Waymo argues that its vehicle handled the situation better than a typical human driver would have: it reduced its speed from 17 mph to 6 mph before impact. Waymo estimates that a human driver in the same scenario would have only slowed to 14 mph, which could have led to more serious injuries.