One of Google’s self-driving cars crashed into a bus in California last month.
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February 29, 2016; A Valentine’s Day crash in which a self-driving Google robot vehicle sideswiped a bus demonstrates the need for a police investigation and the release of technical data and video associated with the crash, Consumer Watchdog said today.
The report was written by Google, which has been testing two dozen Lexus SUVs outfitted with sensors and cameras near the tech firm’s Silicon Valley headquarters. The auto was attempting to navigate its away around some sandbags in the street when its left front struck the bus’s right side.
The car’s test driver – who under state law must be in the front seat to grab the wheel when needed – thought the bus would yield and did not have control when the collision happened, according to Google’s report.
The report does not address fault.
No one was injured, according to an accident report Google wrote and submitted to California’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
It is not the first time one of Google’s famed self-driving cars has been involved in a crash, but it may be the first time it has caused one. Most of the time it makes sense to drive in the middle of a lane.
With 360-degrees of awareness, the self-driving cars are gaining new insights into unsafe driving behaviors, including drifting between lanes and running red lights – both of which can contribute to accidents.
The prototypes are restricted to speeds of 25mph (40 km/h) and the ability to self-drive will depend on specifically designed Google road maps tested on the company’s current fleet of vehicles.
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will investigate the circumstances of the accident, Stacey Hendler Ross, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, said on Monday.
While Google’s autonomous vehicle researchers are sure to learn some lessons from the crash, the company did not respond Monday to requests for comment. After a few cars had passed, the Google AV began to proceed back into the center of the lane to pass the sand bags.
The tech giant says its cars will now have a better understanding that buses and other large vehicles are less likely to yield than smaller ones.
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No one was injured in the collision, the report said, though each vehicle suffered some damage.
