Waymo has responded to questions from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as part of the regulator's investigation into a January crash in which a robotaxi struck a child at low speed.
An initial batch of documents was posted to NHTSA's website on Friday morning. The agency said it is reviewing other responses and will publish them in the investigation file upon completion. The responses from Waymo that were available were entirely redacted, citing "confidential business information."
The crash occurred on January 23 in Santa Monica, California. One of Waymo's Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis was travelling near a school when a 9-year-old girl stepped into the street. The robotaxi was travelling 17 miles per hour, but braked and reduced its speed to six miles per hour before colliding with the student, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released in March.
The child fell, then walked to the curb and reported minor injuries. She did not need medical transport. The NTSB's investigation is separate from the one being performed by NHTSA.
NHTSA sent 12 questions to Waymo on March 23. Waymo asked for an extension in a letter dated May 1, and NHTSA granted additional time to answer 10 of the 12 questions. Waymo told TechCrunch on Thursday that it has completed its submissions.