Waymo submits redacted documents to NHTSA in robotaxi child collision probe
The self-driving firm has completed its responses to the US regulator’s inquiry into a January crash in Santa Monica, though the initial batch of files is heavily redacted.
Waymo has submitted an initial batch of documents to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as part of the regulator’s investigation into a January collision in Santa Monica, California, where a robotaxi struck a nine-year-old child. The files were posted to the NHTSA website on Friday, 21 August 2026, following inquiries from TechCrunch earlier in the week.
The available responses are entirely redacted, with the company citing confidential business information. NHTSA stated that it is reviewing other responses and will publish them in the investigation file upon completion. While the redactions limit immediate public insight, the submission signals that the probe is progressing after Waymo was granted extra time to prepare its answers.
The incident occurred on 23 January 2026, when a Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi travelling at 17 miles per hour (27 km/h) braked to six miles per hour (10 km/h) before colliding with the child near its front-right headlight assembly. The child sustained minor injuries and did not require medical transport. The crash took place near a school, prompting NHTSA to seek information on how Waymo determines speed limits in such zones and whether it has received complaints about robotaxi behaviour around schools.
NHTSA announced the investigation one week after the crash and sent 12 questions, some with sub-questions, to Waymo on 23 March 2026. Waymo’s initial deadline to respond to the regulator’s Office of Defects Investigation was 8 May 2026. However, the company requested an extension in a letter dated 1 May 2026, asking NHTSA to clarify some questions while seeking additional time.
In that letter, Matthew Schwall, Waymo’s senior director of safety, noted that the mutual goal was to provide relevant information that facilitates the investigation while avoiding extraordinary production and review burdens. Waymo provided responses to some questions in a second letter dated 8 July 2026. NHTSA subsequently granted the company additional time to answer 10 of the 12 questions.
Waymo confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday that it has completed its submissions. A separate investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also underway, with a preliminary report released in March 2026. The NTSB typically releases a final, more detailed report after 12 months.
