From Engadget ...
Self-driving cars involved minor accidents, but don't blame the tech
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by Billy Steele | @wmsteele | 25 minutes ago
Since California began issuing permits for self-driving car tests on
public roads last fall, four out of nearly 50 vehicles had minor
accidents. According to an Associated Press report, three of the four
were Google's Lexus SUVs outfitted with Delphi's autonomous technology.
The fourth was a test vehicle owned by Delphi. In half of the fender
benders, the cars were in control when the accident occurred, and all of
them happened at speeds of under 10 MPH. Most importantly, all four
cases resulted in minor damage and no injuries. Due to the state's
privacy laws, the report doesn't indicate any further details -- like if
they happened while backing out of a parking space, for example.
In a blog post today, Google's self-driving project head Chris Urmson
explained that in its six years, the project has seen 11 accidents --
all of them with light damage and no injuries. What's more, Urmson notes
none of the accidents were caused by the self-driving technology that
has piloted nearly a million miles. "If you spend enough time on the
road, accidents will happen whether you're in a car or a self-driving
car," Urmson said. As you may recall, Florida, Michigan and Nevada also
license companies to test self-driving cars on publish highways. Thus
far, no accidents have been reported in those states.
[Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images]
VIA: Autoblog
SOURCE: CNBC
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