Here's Footage Of A Self-Driving Google Car Crashing Into A Bus

So far Google has blamed every self-driving car crash on human error, but this CCTV footage from a bus shows the first crash in which Google accepts its car was at fault
Remote video URL

This isn’t the first time a Google self-driving car has been involved in a crash, but significantly it is the first time it has admitted fault. So far, it’s always been caused by a human driver crashing into the Google car, but as you can see here, this one comes down to the Google car misinterpreting the road.

You can read Google’s in-depth review of the incident on The Verge, but the general gist of it is that the Google car wanted to turn right, but found its path blocked by sandbags. It indicated left to drive around them, and thought the bus was slowing to let it out. It wasn’t, and the Google car found itself in the way. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but Google’s Lexus did suffer some minor damage to its front bumper.

This is proof that even a highly intelligent robot can’t predict other humans’ behaviour every single time, so teaching its cars to better interpret other road users will be key to Google creating autonomous cars that can co-exist with human drivers.

Sources: Jalopnik and The Verge

Comments

Jordan Mellinger

This was bound to happen eventually, and considering how many miles these have logged it was probably safer than the average driver which doesn’t care about other drivers.

03/09/2016 - 18:23 |
2 | 0
Dan Buckley

Was that a sandwich the bus driver had in his hand?

03/09/2016 - 19:38 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Honestly, i don’t like to fly.. this would be a nice thing to have on long trips where i don’t want to fly anywhere.. i could lay back, and let the car get me there.. I would be cool with this.. BUT.. I still want to be able to turn it off, and get some wheel time in going around winding roads, and driving on epic roads with amazing turns, views, etc.. Otherwise it will than just become nothing more than an appliance.. My real question is, what happens when it goes into an underground tunnel where the satellite is blocked?

03/09/2016 - 20:03 |
0 | 0
Antiprius

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The car takes over navigation by reading road markings and using its brace of sensors, which is most of what’s guiding it a lot of the time anyway.

03/10/2016 - 00:39 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Trouble is that once autonomous cars are a thing eventually even if manual driving doesn’t get outlawed, there will be cars with no “manual driving mode” and eventually well be priced out of the right to drive by ourselves simply as cars with both manual and auto will cost more :(

03/10/2016 - 15:35 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Aahahaha, computers are better you say? Not always….

03/09/2016 - 21:02 |
0 | 0
Tyler Rampersaud

Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes

03/09/2016 - 22:36 |
0 | 1
facku

Removed video…

03/09/2016 - 22:47 |
3 | 0
The Cheshire Cowboy

I hear that it swerved to avoid some tax

03/09/2016 - 22:58 |
1 | 0
Justin Pierce (100% inactive)

For anyone after the video, here is the damage.

03/10/2016 - 00:57 |
1 | 0

that’s more than just “damage to the front bumper”

03/10/2016 - 06:01 |
0 | 0

It isn’t removed?

03/10/2016 - 11:36 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

That car would have stopped in time if he was wearing a set of Nokian Tyres.

03/10/2016 - 02:08 |
4 | 2
DrChicane

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

….maybe if it was a Nokian from that batch sent to the regulators and testers. I joke, i don’t care what people say, the Hakkapeliitta 8 is the only tyre i want to be on during Swedish winters

03/10/2016 - 09:07 |
1 | 0
VtakYo 1

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

But you guys faked your test results… still got the guts to comment something like this?

03/10/2016 - 18:25 |
0 | 0
Wai Ning Lai

It’s removed. (oh boy)

03/10/2016 - 04:08 |
0 | 0

Topics

Sponsored Posts