Waymo—First fatal crash involving a Waymo vehicle when speeding driver rear-ended stopped traffic queue
On January 19, 2025, a Waymo robotaxi was stopped in a line of cars when a speeding driver rear-ended the queue, killing a passenger in another vehicle. This was the first fatal crash involving a Waymo vehicle. Analysis indicates the Waymo vehicle was not at fault - it was stationary in traffic when struck from behind.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Protection | +toward | contextual | +0.20 |
| Overall incident score = | +0.011 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.57)× agency (incidental ×0.1)
Evidence (1 signal)
Reports confirmed first fatal crash involving Waymo vehicle - speeding driver hit stopped traffic, Waymo not at fault
On January 19, 2025, a Waymo vehicle was stopped in traffic when a speeding driver rear-ended the queue, killing a passenger in another car. This was the first fatal crash involving a Waymo. The Waymo vehicle was stationary and not at fault.