Nevada Approves Self-Driving Cars for Use
Nevada Approves Self-Driving Cars for Use
Posted 02/17/2012 at 3:49pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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Nevada drivers might be seeing a new sight on the roads in the coming months. That state is the first to officially approve self-driving cars to use public roads. This is a necessary first step for Google’s autonomous vehicles to move forward, but other firms are likely to follow suit. Nevada worked with Google, as well as various industry groups and law enforcement to develop the regulations that will govern self-driving cars.
For the time being, all self-driving cars will have a bright red license plate so drivers will be able to identify them. If the vehicles are even approved for public use in the state, those cars will have a green plate. There will be special licensing procedures for companies to go through before self-driving cars can be used in the state. Clearly, everyone is being very cautious, but Google isn’t worried. In 2010 it announced that its self-driving cars had driven 160,000 miles without incident.
Google’s driverless cars make use of range-finding and image recognition technology to stay on the road. Humans will still need to be present in the driver’s seat for now, but who knows how long that will last? Napping on the way to work, anyone?
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JohnPhillips
March 21, 2012 at 10:26pm
The information on car topic is much better than one can expect. Nice work
http://www.mycarrental.com.sg/
OCFRED
February 19, 2012 at 10:30am
Brilliant, ought to be doing this for speed governing already; first things like carburetors and manuals shifts were automated by technology and like so many other menial jobs chauffeur has too become obsolete.
imagonex
February 19, 2012 at 7:47am
This will only give fuel (no pun intended) for comedians to call Americans even more fat and lazy.
shahid061
February 19, 2012 at 5:28am
hhaahaa sitting in it feel like a passenger car..Quote of the day
synthetic_man
February 18, 2012 at 1:55pm
As someone who has panic attacks while driving this is a great idea. You can't always depend on someone else to drive you somewhere.
Keith E. Whisman
February 18, 2012 at 1:31pm
This idea sucks, they are pushing this shit that will take even more jobs away from Americans that are already having a tough time finding work or even a living wage. I would push your local government to not allow self driving vehicles in your jurisdiction and hopefully your state. This is the wrong time to take American's jobs away from them. A bus that drives itself means that's a bus driver out of work.
bling581
February 20, 2012 at 10:59am
I don't see this ever taking over all the vehicles that are on the road. It's one thing to get a car to drive itself, but think of all the different types of commercial trucks and semis that are out there. If was a way to drive a semi without a real person it's not going to happen anytime soon.
On the positive side, it's a great way to make driving safer. If all cars were auto driven there would be less accidents due to human error, which are probably most of them.
wolf17
February 18, 2012 at 11:36pm
On the other hand, it would enable me to get a job and me more independent :) I don't think bus drivers would be out of jobs, they just would be there to help the passengers find where they need to get off to get to their destination and to assist anyone that needs help getting on and off. Taxi drivers on the other hand...
dgrmouse
February 18, 2012 at 1:46pm
Airplanes have had autopilots for quite some time, and yet crew size hasn't changed. You'll find humans in behind the wheel even in the military, where driving a tank or flying a jet can mean grave mortal peril. Although I would welcome driving aids if they granted a corresponding increase in speed limits, I don't think that bus drivers and/or truck drivers are in any immediate danger of being rendered unnecessary (for better or worse).
Ghok
February 17, 2012 at 10:45pm
I remember reading years ago about buses somewhere in Nevada driving themselves. It was a test or something. The bus system seems like a good place to start.
nsvander
February 17, 2012 at 6:11pm
Just wait till someone finds a way to jam or hack what the car uses to guide itself, and uses it as a weapon. I say 6-8 months and it will be on the news, self driving car takes out school bus full of children.
wintercoder
February 17, 2012 at 9:54pm
I can see this happening as well.
That would be such an easy multi-million dollar lawsuit to win. They think stuck accelerators were expensive...
I'd also try to go after the municipalities/states that put automation behind the wheel of a 5000 lb weapon.
NcOle
February 17, 2012 at 5:14pm
I can't wait for these to be available in Colorado, however I do worry that there might be a lot more dead squirrels on the road!
Peanut Fox
February 17, 2012 at 11:59pm
I'd think yes as you'd still be the operator of the motor vehicle.
joel1981ia
February 17, 2012 at 5:02pm
Will it still be considered dangerous or illegal to text and 'drive'? LOL
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