Tag: WAYMO

SANTA MONICA—On January 29, WAYMO issued a press release about an incident where an autonomous vehicle stuck a child on January 23 at approximately 7:40 a.m. during parent drop off near Grant Elementary School which is located at 2368 Pearl St. According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), WAYMO voluntarily contacted the family of the child and is in full cooperation with authorities investigating the incident. WAYMO reported that the pedestrian came out from behind a large SUV and stepped out into the roadway directly into the path of the autonomous vehicle. The vehicle was traveling at a speed of approximately 17 MPH when it braked, reducing its speed down to 6 MPH when the child was hit. Following the accident, the child stood up immediately and walked to the sidewalk. WAYMO called 911. The vehicle stayed at the scene until police arrived and cleared it to leave. On its website, WAYMO claims that another vehicle with a human driver would not have been able to reduce its speed down to that low of a speed, and would have hit the person at 14 MPH. The Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) indicated the investigation will most likely result in an upgrade to autonomous vehicle’s ability to detect both school zones and hours of reduced speed zones. The child was not injured and was not on the sidewalk with the on-duty school crossing guard; the parent was nearby.   By Sharon

SANTA MONICA—On Sunday, June 22, the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) responded to a call reporting shots fired. Two teens were injured while traveling in a Waymo self-driving vehicle. Both young people were shot. One was shot in the torso. The other was shot in the arm. They are both reportedly in stable condition at an area hospital.

Reports indicate that the suspects and the victims in the shooting had a verbal altercation nearby. The suspects then approached the vehicle on foot and fired multiple rounds at the victims before fleeing the scene.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have reported that the No Kings protests were predominantly peaceful except for a few “agitators”.

The WAYMO company discontinued service in downtown Los Angeles and some other areas including Santa Monica after their cars were targeted and burned at No Kings Protests, and in the Anti-Ice Protests-Riots before that. Reports indicate that close to 1,500 WAYMO cars have been vandalized this year.

The self-driving vehicles are fitted with approximately 29 cameras. WAYMO is built for the safety of those traveling inside the vehicle. There is no protection against vandals and gunfire. WAYMO has issued a statement relaying that they have agreed to share the camera’s video footage to help identify the perpetrators so they may be brought to justice.

This case is still under investigation. Anyone with more information on the shooting is encouraged to call the SMPD Watch Commander at 310-458-8427.

By Sharon