The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) plans to open an investigation into a Jan. 23 incident where one of Waymo’s vehicles made contact with a young pedestrian.
Waymo said the event occurred in Santa Monica when the “pedestrian suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV, moving directly into our vehicle’s path.”
“Our technology immediately detected the individual as soon as they began to emerge from behind the stopped vehicle. The Waymo Driver braked hard, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact was made.”
Following the event, Waymo voluntarily contacted the NHTSA on the day of the incident and said it would cooperate fully with the investigation.
Waymo (WAYMO), the autonomous driving unit of Alphabet (GOOGL) (GOOG), is reportedly in talks to raise more than $15B at a valuation approaching $100B in a financing round led by its parent company.
Waymo’s services are currently operational in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, Miami, and Atlanta. In 2026, the firm plans to begin autonomous ride-hailing in 20 additional cities, including Tokyo and London.