Did you ever think that a vehicle that doesn’t require an actual driver, would be granted a license? Well, according to the State of Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Google’s self-driving car has been deemed safe enough to be granted a license in order to begin tests on public roads.
This makes it not only legal for the self-driving Prius to be on the public roads, but a first for the United States. Nevada was also the first state to pass a law making self-driving cars legal with Bills having been introduced in Hawaii, California, Florida and Oklahoma.
Google’s innovation uses a combination of GPS and artificial intelligence to drive itself with very little assistance from a human. A laser radar on the roof, can detect people, other cars and obstacles on the road in order to drive safely and to avoid any collisions. The computer screen inside the car picks up and displays traffic lights, planned routes and other potential hazards.
The Nevada DMV having issued the license is on condition that there be two people inside the vehicle while in operation, at all times – one in the driver’s seat and the other monitoring the car’s computer screen that shows its planned route and other obstacles.
In an emergency or when the driver gets bored, he or she need only to hit the break or touch the steering wheel, in order to gain control therefore explaining the requirement of having someone in the driver’s seat
According to Google, the car “œmakes driving safer, more enjoyable and more efficient.“
However, the car is not without incident, having caused a minor road accident in August 2011 while Google claimed it was in manual rather self-driving mode.
Tell us what you think about self-driving vehicles on the public roads.
Source: Mashable
