The accident occurred on February 14, when Google was testing two dozen Lexus SUVs outfitted with sensors and cameras in Mountain View, near the tech firm’s Silicon Valley headquarters.
Advertisement
“The Google AV test driver saw the bus approaching… but believed the bus would stop or slow to allow the Google AV to continue”, the accident report notes. It was posted online Monday.
According to the report, the vehicle was in autonomous mode and in the far right lane of a main thoroughfare in the California city of Mountain View.
A self-driving vehicle being tested by Google crashed into a bus in California.
“We clearly bear some responsibility, because if our vehicle hadn’t moved, there wouldn’t have been a collision”.
Last month, the department of transport that amended the road safety norms for Google’s auto, identifying the software-driven vehicle as a veritable driver of the vehicle. The company has indeed claimed “some” responsibility but has also said that it is not black and white.
There was no injury to the bus passengers, and all the 15 passengers were transferred to another bus.
There may never be a legal decision on fault, especially if damage was negligible – as both sides indicated it was – and neither Google nor the transit authority pushes the case.
After waiting for a few cars to pass, the Google vehicle decided it was time to proceed. The difference is that Google’s fleet was deemed to not be at fault in every one of those cases. No one has been seriously injured.
This is a classic example of the negotiation that’s a normal part of driving – we’re all trying to predict each other’s movements.
“We hope to handle situations like this more gracefully in the future”, the company said.
The Google SUV had moved into the right side of the lane at a traffic light to make a right turn but was blocked by sandbags, the report said.
Advertisement
Google sees that as the next natural step for the technology, and has pressed California’s DMV and federal regulators to authorize cars in which humans have limited means of intervening. The software that rides on artificial intelligence, is said to be equivalent to 75 years of driving experience. State law requires the driver who is monitoring the test vehicle to grab the wheel and take control when needed.
