Waymo's Driverless Dilemma A Child Struck Near School

A Rather Unfortunate Incident

Well this is a bit of a howler isn't it? It appears even Muggles with their fancy self driving cars aren't immune to a bit of trouble. I've been following the news about Alphabet's Waymo and their driverless vehicles and it seems one of them had a rather unfortunate encounter with a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica. Honestly you'd think they'd have learned a thing or two from Arthur Weasley's mishaps with Muggle contraptions.

NHTSA Investigates The Mishap

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA as they are known in the Muggle world is now investigating the incident. Apparently the child sustained minor injuries. One can only imagine the paperwork. It seems the Waymo vehicle running on its 5th Generation Automated Driving System struck the child near the school during drop off hours. According to the records the child darted across the street from behind a double parked SUV. One must ask are these robotaxis truly prepared for the unpredictable nature of children? Much like house elves they sometimes appear out of nowhere. This whole situation reminds me a bit of when Harry Ron and I had to navigate the Forbidden Forest – unexpected dangers lurked around every corner. And speaking of unexpected dangers Volvo Cars Meltdown: U.S. Tariffs Trigger Biggest Stock Plunge Ever is another situation to watch out for!

Waymo's Take On The Accident

Waymo in their defense claims that their technology detected the child and braked hard reducing the speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact. They even suggested that a fully attentive human driver might have hit the child at a higher speed. Honestly sometimes I think Muggles try too hard to make their machines seem superior. It reminds me of Lockhart trying to take credit for other wizards' accomplishments. "This significant reduction in impact speed and severity is a demonstration of the material safety benefit of the Waymo Driver," they said. Oh really? I think I'll reserve my judgment until I see the full report.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

As if this wasn't enough Waymo was also involved in another incident in Los Angeles where one of its vehicles sped through a one way street and hit several parked cars. Luckily no injuries were reported but it does raise concerns about the overall safety and reliability of these driverless systems. It's like a string of blunders straight out of a Gilderoy Lockhart novel. One might start to think this is not a coincidence.

School Bus Scrutiny

And it gets worse! Waymo is already under regulatory scrutiny for its robotaxis’ behavior around school buses. The National Transportation Safety Board has initiated an investigation after reports of Waymo vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses. Apparently the Austin Independent School District identified at least 19 incidents where Waymo vehicles passed its school buses. Honestly you'd think they'd have programmed the cars to recognize the big yellow vehicles. It's as if they've never heard of a school bus before. Sometimes honestly the incompetence of some people… it's baffling.

Final Thoughts: A Need For Increased Vigilance

All of this highlights the need for increased vigilance and thorough testing before unleashing these driverless vehicles on public roads. It's all well and good to have fancy technology but safety should always be the top priority. Perhaps they need to consult a few charms and spells to ensure their cars behave properly. After all as I always say "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things – friendship and bravery." and in this case ensuring the safety of our children.