Google driverless cars tested on Texas roads

Residents of Austin, Texas are concerned with Google autonomous cars driving around the city.

Testing self-driving cars in the state has not been legalized yet.

As Google's Chris Urmson, the director of the self-driving car program, reported earlier this year the cars have been involved in 11 accidents since the company started testing them in 2009, but that number could be higher.

California just last week reversed a policy that kept self-driving vehicle crashes from having to be disclosed to the public.

Last week numerous videos spotted a Google self-driving vehicle parked in a vertical parking spot on Congress Avenue in south central Austin - less than two miles south of the state capitol.

A gyroscope spins atop the roof, as the man filming approaches the car, which has "Google" clearly emblazoned on both driver and passenger sides.

A photo posted a week later features the same Lexus RX 450h with identical California license plates traveling north on Guadalupe Street.

The numerous sightings confirm the company is testing its self-driving cars on Texas public roads.

In 2013, Google showcased the self-driving vehicle to Texas lawmakers by driving it from the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, to Austin, where the city's mayor, police chief and various state administrators took turns taking autopilot joyrides.

A spokesperson for the Austin transportation department at the time said the law is still "fuzzy" on self-driving cars, but that she didn't think "there's any issues... or a specific ordinance against" operating them.

As of yet, four states - California, Nevada, Michigan and Florida - have passed laws legalizing autonomous vehicles on public roads.

Also read: Driverless cars programmed to kill

Pravda.Ru