A student was involved in a low-speed collision with an autonomous vehicle near Grant Elementary School on last week, though no injuries were reported, according to Santa Monica police.
The incident occurred at approximately 7:40 a.m. near 24th Street and Pearl Street, adjacent to the school campus. Police said preliminary information indicates the student entered the roadway outside the available crosswalk and away from an on-duty crossing guard.
The autonomous vehicle was operated by Waymo, which stated the pedestrian "suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV, moving directly into our vehicle's path." According to the company, its technology immediately detected the individual and braked hard, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact was made.
"To put this in perspective, our peer-reviewed model shows that a fully attentive human driver in this same situation would have made contact with the pedestrian at approximately 14 mph," Waymo stated. "This significant reduction in impact speed and severity is a demonstration of the material safety benefit of the Waymo Driver."
Following the collision, the pedestrian stood up immediately and walked to the sidewalk, according to Waymo, which said it called 911. The vehicle remained stopped and moved to the side of the road, staying there until law enforcement cleared it to leave the scene.
Santa Monica Fire Department personnel responded and evaluated the student. The student's parent was present at the scene.
Waymo said it voluntarily contacted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the same day. NHTSA has indicated it intends to open an investigation into the incident, and the company said it will cooperate fully throughout the process.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District confirmed it is aware of the incident and said the student is safe. The district said it is in communication with the school and the family regarding the matter.
Police said officers conducted an on-scene investigation, and the incident remains under review.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, their Office of Defects Investigation has opened this Preliminary Evaluation to investigate whether the car exercised appropriate caution given, among other things, its proximity to the elementary school during drop off hours, and the presence of young pedestrians and other potential vulnerable road users.