4 Things You Need to Know About Google’s Driverless Cars

You already know Google as one of the biggest names on the internet, but very soon they may be breaking their online-only image and getting into the auto industry.

They’re getting into the auto industry, but they’re not just going to make a car … they are currently working on and testing a driver-less car. The new Google car will be able to drive itself without the help of a human.

Imagine making your morning commute without actually having to drive. You could eat your breakfast, put on your make-up, or read the paper on your way to work without having to be crammed in a bus with 100 other office dwellers.

On the other hand, there are lots of ways a driver-less car could go wrong, but Google’s tests are proving, so far, that their cars are extremely safe — maybe even safer than the cars we currently drive. Check out these four facts, and decide for yourself.

1. Driver-less cars are legal in Nevada

Google needed a place where they could safely and legally test their driver-less car technology. They worked with the Nevada state government to pass legislation (in June 2011) to make driver-less cars legal. Although they’d already been testing the cars throughout California and other parts of the US, the state law made Nevada the most friendly state for continued testing.

2. They use Google Street View

At first, the idea of Google making a car sounds silly, but it sounds a little less silly when you consider that Google has the largest database of map and street data in the world. And now they’re using their database to help driver-less cars navigate. Along with artificial intelligence software, mounted cameras and sensors, and GPS positioning technology, Google’s driver-less cars use Google’s extensive database to take you to school, work, and home again.

3. They have been extensively tested

The Google driver-less cars have been tested extensively and continue to be tested to ensure their navigation and safety features work properly before introducing them to the public. These cars are very complicated; if they break, it’s not as if you can run down to the auto parts store and fix them with some spare Ford Mustang parts or CJ Pony's Mustang accessories. So Google is undergoing a wide range of tests to ensure the cars are safe for everyone.

4.  There has only been one accident

One way Google hopes to reinvent the auto-mobile to make it safer is by taking out the variable of human error. The vast majority of car accidents each year are caused by human error, and the Google car can take that variable out of the equation.

For example, Google cars have been driven for over 1000 miles so far, and they’ve only had one accident. And that accident was caused when a person was driving the car!

Is a Google car right for you? Only time will tell. But Google’s new driver-less cars will certainly try to make the roads safer and easier for us all.

CJ contributed this guest post. Passionate about classic cars, he likes writing about the best car resources, like where to find CJ Pony Parts Ford Mustang parts, and the future of the auto industry.