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US opens probe into Waymo vehicles over school bus safety violations
Reuters • • business
Key Points:
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating whether a software update Waymo implemented in December 2025 effectively prevented its driverless cars from illegally passing school buses with flashing red lights.
- Most violations occurred after November 2025, when Waymo claimed to have completed the software fix for all affected vehicles, prompting NHTSA to assess the remedy's adequacy and causes of continued incidents.
- Waymo stated it has made significant improvements and reported no citations since March 2026, but concerns remain following earlier reports of robotaxis failing to obey traffic laws near school buses in multiple cities.
- The probe follows a separate January investigation by NHTSA after a Waymo self-driving vehicle struck a child near a school in Santa Monica, California.
- In response to the issues, Waymo issued a voluntary software recall in December 2025 impacting over 3,000 vehicles with its fifth-generation automated driving system.
