On January 23, 2026, a fully driverless Waymo robotaxi struck a child within two blocks of Grant Elementary School in Santa Monica during normal morning drop-off hours, when children, a crossing guard, and several double-parked vehicles were present.
On January 23, 2026, a fully driverless Waymo robotaxi struck a child within two blocks of Grant Elementary School in Santa Monica during normal morning drop-off hours, when children, a crossing guard, and several double-parked vehicles were present.
Why it matters
The child sustained minor injuries. The incident triggered two federal-level investigations: NHTSA opened a probe into whether the robotaxi exercised appropriate caution near a school during drop-off, and the NTSB opened a coordinated inquiry with Santa Monica Police.
AI / automation’s role
The Waymo Driver operated the vehicle fully autonomously with no human in the loop and no human safety operator aboard to read the context of an active school zone.
During the 2025-2026 school year, the Austin Independent School District documented roughly 20 separate instances of driverless Waymo robotaxis illegally passing stopped school buses that had their red lights flashing and stop arms extended.
During the 2025-2026 school year, the Austin Independent School District documented roughly 20 separate instances of driverless Waymo robotaxis illegally passing stopped school buses that had their red lights flashing and stop arms extended.
Why it matters
NHTSA expanded its federal safety investigation into Waymo.
AI / automation’s role
Waymo's fully autonomous driving system was solely responsible for perceiving and obeying the stopped-school-bus rule, with no human safety operator in the vehicle and no per-trip human approval gate.
In the early hours of October 13-14, 2025, a 31-year-old driver crashed a Xiaomi SU7 into a central divider in Chengdu, China, and the electric sedan burst into flames.
In the early hours of October 13-14, 2025, a 31-year-old driver crashed a Xiaomi SU7 into a central divider in Chengdu, China, and the electric sedan burst into flames.
Why it matters
A 31-year-old driver burned to death trapped inside his own car.
AI / automation’s role
Two separate automated subsystems failed with no human able to override either at the moment it mattered.
On October 17, 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary evaluation into Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) system covering approximately 2.4 million vehicles across model years 2016 through 2024.
On October 17, 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary evaluation into Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) system covering approximately 2.4 million vehicles across model years 2016 through 2024.
Why it matters
One pedestrian was killed and at least one person was injured across the four crashes that prompted the investigation.
AI / automation’s role
FSD is a driving-automation system that perceives the road through cameras and executes steering, braking, and acceleration on its own between driver interventions.
A pedestrian was struck by a hit-and-run human driver and thrown into the path of a Cruise autonomous taxi.
Why it matters
Severe injuries to the pedestrian. California DMV suspended Cruise's autonomous driving permit.
AI / automation’s role
The autonomous driving system correctly detected the initial collision but then executed a "minimal risk condition" protocol - pulling to the curb - without recognizing that a human was trapped underneath.
Boeing's 737 MAX included MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System), an automated flight control system that repeatedly pushed the nose down based on a single faulty sensor reading .
Boeing's 737 MAX included MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System), an automated flight control system that repeatedly pushed the nose down based on a single faulty sensor reading .
Why it matters
346 people killed. The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide for 20 months.
AI / automation’s role
MCAS relied on a single angle-of-attack sensor with no redundancy.
On March 23, 2018, Apple software engineer Walter Huang, 38, was killed when his Tesla Model X, with Autopilot engaged, drove itself into a concrete highway median on US-101 in Mountain View, California.
On March 23, 2018, Apple software engineer Walter Huang, 38, was killed when his Tesla Model X, with Autopilot engaged, drove itself into a concrete highway median on US-101 in Mountain View, California.
Why it matters
Walter Huang, a 38-year-old father of two, was killed.
AI / automation’s role
Autopilot, a partial-automation driving system, was in continuous control for the final 18 minutes and 55 seconds of the drive.
