All About Japan Autos

Google revolutionized the way we search online. Now the internet giant is looking to revolutionize the way we drive.

Google hooked up models of the Toyota Prius with artificial intelligence software that lets them drive themselves. “The seemingly all-conquering Google has announced that it’s road-testing cars that steer, stop and start without a driver,” Time Magazine reports. “The cars use video cameras on the roof, along with radar sensors and a laser range finder to ‘see’ other traffic.”

Driverless cars seem odd, but Google thinks they’ll be a huge benefit. “Our goal is to help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use,” Sebastian Thrun, a Google software engineer, states in the company blog.

So far, the new software has been successful. “With someone behind the wheel to take control if something goes awry and a technician in the passenger seat to monitor the navigation system, seven test cars have driven 1,000 miles without human intervention and more than 140,000 miles with only occasional human control,” says the New York Times. “The only accident, engineers said, was when one Google car was rear-ended while stopped at a traffic light.”

Although these cars appear safer, Jalopnik questions their legality — though admits there’s no law barring their existence. “According to California officials, there are no laws that would bar Google from testing such models, as long as there’s a human behind the wheel who would be responsible should something go wrong,” writes Jalopnik.

Californian drivers may spot a Google Prius on the road, but if you live elsewhere, it’ll be a long time before you see a motorist reading behind the wheel while their car drives.

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