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NHTSA probes Waymo for school bus safety violations

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Waymo's fleet includes over 1,500 robotaxis in major US

cities

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Firm claims improvements already made for school bus

safety

(Rewrites throughout, adds background and company statement in

paragraphs 5-8)

Oct 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Monday it has opened a

preliminary probe into about 2,000 Waymo self-driving vehicles

after reports that the company's robotaxis may have failed to

follow traffic safety laws around stopped school buses.

The probe is the latest federal review of self-driving

systems as regulators scrutinize how driverless technologies

interact with pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.

NHTSA said the Office of Defects Investigation opened

the review after flagging a media report describing an incident

in which a Waymo autonomous vehicle did not remain stationary

when approaching a school bus with its red lights flashing, stop

arm deployed and crossing control arm extended.

The report said the Waymo vehicle initially stopped

beside the bus then maneuvered around its front, passing the

extended stop arm and crossing control arm while students were

disembarking.

A Waymo spokesperson said the company has "already developed

and implemented improvements related to stopping for school

buses and will land additional software updates in our next

software release."

The company added "driving safely around children has

always been one of Waymo's highest priorities. In the event

referenced, the vehicle approached the school bus from an angle

where the flashing lights and stop sign were not visible and

drove slowly around the front of the bus before driving past it,

keeping a safe distance from children."

NHTSA said the vehicle involved was equipped with

Waymo's fifth-generation Automated Driving System (ADS) and was

operating without a human safety driver at the time of the

incident.

Waymo has said its robotaxi fleet numbers more than 1,500

vehicles operating across major U.S. cities, including Phoenix,

Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin.

The Alphabet-owned company also plans to expand

internationally, with launches in cities including Tokyo and

London in coming years.