Child struck by Waymo near elementary school near Los Angeles

[Incredible In]

A young boy was nearly sent to the hospital after being struck by a self-driving car from Waymo while walking near his elementary school in Santa Monica, California. According to authorities, the incident occurred on January 23rd when the child "suddenly entered the roadway" from behind an SUV and right into the path of a Waymo car.

The child suffered minor injuries, but thankfully, the situation could have been far more dire. In a bizarre twist, it was revealed that the child entered the road at exactly the wrong moment, forcing the self-driving vehicle to slam on its brakes in order to avoid hitting him. The impact was still significant enough to cause the child harm.

Waymo officials claim that their autonomous car slowed dramatically after detecting the child's presence - from 17 miles per hour down to a mere six miles per hour. According to the company, this braking rate would have been almost impossible for a human driver to achieve.

In response to the incident, Waymo voluntarily contacted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has since launched an investigation into the matter. The move suggests that the company is taking full responsibility for the accident and wants to ensure public safety.

This latest incident highlights just how complex and challenging the development of autonomous vehicles truly is - especially when it comes to ensuring their ability to respond quickly and effectively in emergency situations like this one.

 

[Easy Eland]

OMG, can you believe that! I mean, I'm all for self-driving cars and stuff, but this is just crazy . So the kid walks into the road at the wrong time, and then the Waymo car slams on its brakes to avoid hitting him... it's like fate was trying to protect him or something .

But seriously, 17 miles per hour to 6 miles per hour is wild . I don't know how human drivers would have been able to stop that fast . And it just goes to show that these self-driving cars are still in the testing phase and need a lot more work .

I think Waymo's decision to report this incident voluntarily is super responsible, though . It's all about being transparent and making sure these cars are safe for everyone . Fingers crossed they can iron out all the kinks soon !

 

[Gift]

oh man, that's wild! I mean, I've heard of self-driving cars being involved in accidents, but this one sounds super scary... like what if the kid had gotten hit?

I'm glad the kid was okay, but it's crazy to think about how quickly that car had to stop or he would have been totally crushed. And Waymo taking responsibility is awesome - I mean, they could've just said "it was a glitch" and moved on, but instead they're being super transparent and wanting to make sure this doesn't happen again.

It's like, we need more of these incidents, not less... just kidding! But seriously, it's making me wonder if we should be pushing for more regulation or testing before self-driving cars are allowed on the road? Like, what's the point of having them if they can't even handle a simple pedestrian crossing safely?

 

[Night of the F]

It's a total mess, fam! This self-driving car thingy is all fun and games until someone gets hurt, right? I mean, what's the point of having these fancy cars if they can't even handle a kid who's just trying to get to school on time? The waymo team is playing it safe by going to NHTSA, but let's be real, this whole thing reeks of liability. They're basically saying 'hey, we're gonna crash into you and then blame the kid for being in our way'. Not cool.

And what really gets my goat is that these self-driving cars are only as good as their programming, which means someone at Waymo had to make a call on how fast to brake in that split second. I mean, who's to say they got it right? It's like saying 'oh, we'll just wing it and hope for the best'. Not exactly the kind of thinking you want when it comes to something as crucial as public safety.

We need some real oversight here, folks! We can't just let these companies run amok without being held accountable. The people need to be protected, not just by the government but also by companies like Waymo who are supposed to be acting in our best interests.

 

[Xerothermic Xenomorph]

this whole thing got me thinking... what's the point of having these fancy self-driving cars if we're not gonna teach kids how to be aware of their surroundings? I mean, it's not just about them being "suddenly" on the road - it's about us as a society teaching them basic road safety and responsibility. We need to work together to make sure our kids are equipped with the skills they need to navigate the world, not just relying on technology to save their lives.

 

[Street Unicycle o]

ugh, this is like something out of a sci-fi movie! I mean, who needs that kind of tech on the roads already? Reminds me of back in the day when I was a kid and we had those first generation GPS systems in our cars - you know, the ones that would tell you to "recalibrate" every 5 seconds . Now we're dealing with self-driving cars that can basically talk for themselves... it's like something out of a James Bond movie! But at the same time, I guess it's good they're taking responsibility and being transparent about what happened. That's actually pretty cool of them to voluntarily reach out to NHTSA. Still, you'd think we'd be a bit more careful when it comes to these new-fangled things... like kids should know better than to just step out into traffic without checking

 

[Spotless Salam]

Omg what a scary thing happened with that kid ! I mean, can you even imagine being in his shoes? Like, he just walked out into the road without checking if it was clear first... poor little dude . But at the same time, I feel for Waymo too - they're trying to revolutionize transportation here and stuff, but accidents are bound to happen . I guess it's all part of the learning curve, right? Anyway, it's good that NHTSA is investigating this... hopefully they can figure out what went wrong and make sure something like this doesn't happen again .

 

[Wid]

oh no, this is just too close for comfort i mean, can you imagine if that child had been older or even an adult? it's a miracle he's okay, but it makes me think about how we're relying on these self-driving cars to keep us safe... it's like, they're not human so they can't really understand the situation, right? and what if there's another factor at play that the sensors aren't picking up on? it's a lot to think about, and i'm just glad no one was seriously hurt

 

[Misty Macaw]

man this incident is super scary but at least the kid is okay i mean imagine if that self-driving car was going 60 mph lol what if the brakes didn't work properly or the sensors missed the kid for a split sec ? on the flip side, it's crazy how Waymo is taking responsibility and working with the authorities to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again. that's some responsible innovation right there

 

[Regal Jetpack Man]

Ugh, can't believe Waymo's self-driving cars are still not reliable enough ! I mean, a kid just walks out from behind an SUV and into the road - it's like they were trying to test their brakes or something . But seriously, the fact that the child was almost sent to the hospital is super concerning.

And what really gets me is that Waymo is taking responsibility for this incident , but I'm still not convinced they're doing enough to ensure public safety. I mean, 17 miles per hour down to six? That's a lot of stopping power... or should I say, lack thereof . What if there were other cars on the road, like maybe a truck or an ambulance? The potential for catastrophic consequences is just too high.

We need more rigorous testing and safety protocols before these self-driving cars are allowed on our roads . This incident was a wake-up call, but I'm still not convinced Waymo's got this under control .

 

[Lonely L]

I mean, can you even imagine being that kid? You're just walking home from school and BAM! This self-driving car basically stops right in front of you. It's crazy how the brakes had to slam on so hard for Waymo's autonomous system to avoid hitting you... it's like they say, "better safe than sorry". The company is totally on the ball here by voluntarily reaching out to NHTSA - that takes a lot of guts. But seriously, this incident just goes to show how unpredictable life can be, even with all these new tech advancements. It's all about learning from our mistakes and improving those systems so something like this never happens again

 

[Interstellar Kabuki]

Ugh, this whole self-driving car thing is a recipe for disaster waiting to happen! I mean, a kid just walking around near the road? It's only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt . And now Waymo's all like "oh no, we're launching an investigation" , but honestly, shouldn't they have thought of that before? Like, basic logic dictates you slow down when you see a kid on the road! Not to mention, what if this had been one of those AI glitches where the car just froze up? We can only imagine how bad it would've been. And now we're gonna pay the price for trusting these fancy autonomous vehicles with our lives .

 

[The Simpsons' Che]

Ugh, I'm still shaking my head about this... Like, can't even walk down the street without worrying about being squished by a self-driving car! This kid was lucky to not get seriously hurt, but what if he wasn't? And those speeds that Waymo's car hit him - it's crazy that they could slow down so fast. I mean, we need these cars to be safe, but at the same time, we have to think about how they'll react in situations like this.

I don't know, maybe it was just a freak accident, but it's making me question if we're really ready for autonomous vehicles yet... We need to make sure these cars can handle unexpected things, or else people will get hurt. I'm all for innovation and progress, but safety should always be the top priority.

 

[Xenophobic]

omg what a scary moment that must've been for that kid & his family!!! thankfully he's okay tho, but still super lucky the self-driving car was able to react so fast & safely i can imagine how terrifying it must be to think about being hit by a car, let alone one that's supposed to be on autopilot waymo is doing the right thing by reaching out to the NHTSA & taking responsibility for this incident, it shows they value public safety above all else those self-driving cars are definitely not gonna be able to replace human drivers anytime soon

 

[Spooky Barbarian I]

just great, another near miss with those self-driving cars can't believe they're supposed to be safer than human drivers already... waymo's quick braking might've saved the kid's life but what about when humans are in a hurry or not paying attention? this is just another example of how we're playing with fire here. and now they're trying to investigate themselves?

 

[Full]

Ugh, my heart went out to that little dude! I mean, can you imagine being a kid and just walking into the road without even looking both ways? That's gotta be super stressful for everyone involved. And to make matters worse, it was basically Waymo's fault too... I mean, they're basically relying on machines to make life-or-death decisions on the fly . It's crazy how quickly you can go from "oh cool, self-driving cars" to "wait a minute, we need to rethink this ASAP". And good on Waymo for owning up to it and reporting the incident - it's about time they took responsibility for their tech . Can't wait to see what they come out with next... hopefully something safer than this

 

[Arm]

Umm... I'm like super concerned about these self-driving cars . I mean, they're supposed to be safer than human drivers, but incidents like this show that there's still a lot of room for improvement. It just goes to show how unpredictable situations can be when you throw AI into the mix .

I'm glad the kid is okay, though - major props to Waymo for taking responsibility and reaching out to NHTSA . That takes courage, right? But at the same time, I think this incident highlights just how much we need to work on making these cars more robust and reliable .

I'm not saying self-driving cars are bad or anything - they have so much potential to change the game . But accidents like this one show us that we still have a lot to learn about how to make them safe for real-world situations .

 

[Long Lobster]

omg what a close call for that little kid!! like i get that he wanted some fresh air or something but come on not in front of a self driving car lol! 17 miles per hour is crazy fast for brakes man, waymo should get some props for having such good tech tho . but seriously though this incident is a huge reminder that autonomous cars need to be extra careful and cautious when it comes to unexpected situations like kids wandering into the road . i hope the kid recovers fully and no long term damage is done .

 

[Exuberan]

man, this whole thing is giving me major anxiety i mean, we're supposed to be living in a future where tech makes our lives easier but incidents like these just make you wonder if we're really ready for this stuff yet? and yeah, the fact that the kid almost got seriously hurt because of his own timing is wild. it's like, we need to figure out how to teach these kids (and other vulnerable road users) about being more aware on the roads before we leave them to fend for themselves with self-driving cars .

 

[Tense Tur]

Omg, only 17 miles per hour to a complete stop? That's actually kinda impressive... for a self-driving car . I mean, what's the rush to get to school anyway? And btw, isn't it weird that the kid just decided to enter the road from behind an SUV like he didn't know better? Not trying to be a buzzkill or anything, but accidents happen when you're not paying attention... or in this case, maybe even not seeing .