Overview
- The Office of Defects Investigation launched a preliminary evaluation covering about 2,000 vehicles after video from Atlanta showed a Waymo robotaxi maneuvering around a bus that was unloading children.
- Investigators will review the self-driving software’s behavior near stopped school buses and its design for complying with rules tied to flashing lights, stop arms and crossing-control arms.
- Based on its engagement with Waymo, NHTSA said the likelihood of prior similar incidents is high.
- NHTSA reported the vehicle in the video was operating driverless on Waymo’s fifth‑generation automated driving system.
- Waymo says it has already pushed improvements, plans additional software updates, and previously addressed a separate NHTSA probe with a 2024 recall and software fix.