SANTA MONICA, CA – A dangerous stunt involving several young juveniles riding inside an autonomous Waymo vehicle in Santa Monica has raised fresh public safety concerns regarding driverless technology.
Dangerous Stunt in Busy Traffic
The incident occurred around 6:00 p.m. on Friday, June 19, near the intersection of 26th Street and Olympic Boulevard. Local witness Rojia Shahsavani reported seeing at least three juvenile boys dangling out of the open windows and sitting on the car’s ledges while recording videos on their cell phones.
“What was shocking was how young they were, especially the boy sitting in the very front, who appeared to be maybe 8 to 9 years old,” Shahsavani stated. Despite being urged by onlookers to stop, the juveniles ignored the warnings.
Delayed Response from Autonomous System
Concerned for the boys’ safety and other drivers, Shahsavani contacted Waymo customer service while following the vehicle. Representatives reassured her that they would pull the autonomous car over safely. However, the robotaxi reportedly continued driving for several blocks through heavy traffic before disappearing from sight without stopping.
Waymo’s official policy states that in California, children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult to ride in a vehicle. It remains unclear how the unattended juveniles managed to hail and board the robotaxi.
Growing Scrutiny Over Robotaxi Safety
The incident has intensified criticism from safety advocates regarding passenger monitoring and age verification. Non-profit group Consumer Watchdog noted that Waymo could face fines for age verification failures and emphasized the urgent need for better in-car monitoring systems to detect unsafe behavior.
This event adds to a string of recent challenges for the autonomous vehicle company, which has previously issued recalls for software issues involving:
- Navigating into closed construction zones.
- Traveling into flooded areas.
- Improperly driving past stopped school buses.
