I would ***looove*** to have one of these cars as I utterly despise driving.

Waiting to see the car hitting the road next year.

Who would be fined in case of traffic violation OR who would be held responsible in case of accidents?
I don't think a machine can be prosecuted :)

Let google test this car on indian roads, then we can accept it.

Self drivon card will be a great step forward for our civilization. However, couldn't Google have made them look more attractive? Their technology=impressive, the looks currently=hideous!

Self drivon card will be a great step forward for our civilization. However, couldn't Google have made them look more attractive? Their technology=impressive, the looks currently=hideous!

I think the elimination of any flash or flare is perfect. Gone are the ego days where people play the "My car is better/faster/pricier than yours" game.

This technology eliminates the jerk-ness that some people experience behind the wheel when they feel they need to tailgate to make someone move over or go faster.
No more cutting in front of the other guy or running red lights. You'll stop for cyclists passing on the right before making a right turn as well as pedestrians poised for crossing the streets. No speed limit will be broken and in school zones you will go 20 mph always. That clicking sound you hear? Why that's a turn signal! What a great idea!
If the the strict adherence to the laws as described above does not appeal to you,then you'll know who people are talking about when they describe "All the idiots on the road today"

Too many humans cannot be trusted to behave in a safe manner behind the wheel so by eliminating the human ego feed on the roads, we eliminate the dangers constantly presented by them.

Transportation is becoming a commodity. The moving of the masses has no room for big egos. Like an elevator or escalator, it doesn't matter what it looks like.

It is now time for legislation as to who will be able to "drive" these cars as they are probably coming very quickly.

Will there be an age limit? Will there be a license? What about dui? What about being suitable for the blind? Will there have to be human inside or could the "car drive itself from a parking place to pick you up" from the door in the rain?

All these things should be done before they are ready to be on the road. Otherwise, the same thing is going to happen that is presently happening with drones.

PS I think they look great. Quirky looking cars definitely, rather than sleek automobile design. But great fun.

@PA Resident:

If I recall correctly, the various state governments have been given a timetable by the feds to come up with regulations concerning self-driving vehicles. The California DMV has been studying these vehicles for a while.

I believe California has stipulated the presence of a regular set of controls that can be overridden by the occupant (sitting in the "driver's" seat). That would mean that the "safety driver" would still need a valid driver's license and insurance.

I mostly agree with Get in Line, above - though I might choose to have flames painted on the side of mine! I'd like to sign up to be a test driver!

Would Google care to post a diagram of the cars we see on the streets to explain what all the various appendages are? I'd be interested in seeing such.

Can't wait! Used to love driving, not so much anymore. Perhaps this will begin to commoditize auto transportation so, if we choose, we don't all have to own and maintain our own autos in the future. Just in time for all of the baby boomers retiring.

Self-driving cars would work OK if all the cars were self-driving. Mixing autonomous cars with human-driven traffic sounds like a recipe for disaster. Especially when I read a comment on another forum "if I see one of those things on the road, I'm going to ram it". There's no software that can account for human stupidity or malice.

Only aware and focused humans should be behind the wheel. Let's hope such contraptions are banned forever from every road everywhere.

@ban this contraption: "Only aware and focused humans should be behind the wheel"?

Hate to break it to you, but the last time that has happened was never. The one saving grace of self-driving cars will *possibly* be that they will be able to navigate around possible collision situations.

I want to be one of the first to buy a self driving car, if I can afford it of course. I think all of the car companies such as Ford, GM, Chysler and others are working on bringing actual cars to market, I hope many of them are ready to buy by about 2020. Think about being able to relax, read, talk or text on the phone safely, even sleep while going some where in complete safety.

All cars will have extensive crash recorders like airplanes do now, each crash will be studied to determine the reason for the crash and then existing self driving cars, roads, etc will be modified to prevent similar crashes in the future, riding in a car will become as safe as riding in an airline. We go years in this country will no one dieing in an airliner, currently about 35,000 people a year in cars in this county. It's a terrible toll for nothing.

To stop the trolls. If you think the eyeball, brain and human limbs are inferior to a computer then I hope you are never in traffic next to me. All responible drivers pay attention to the road using all their faculties.

@ban this contraption: Been out in actual traffic lately? If you have -- which I seriously doubt -- then you would know that quite a number of drivers out there have NO clue about how to actually drive in traffic. And that is with (apparently) functioning eyeballs, brains, and limbs.

Try again. Only this time, THINK before commenting.

"If you think the eyeball, brain and human limbs are inferior to a computer then I hope you are never in traffic next to me. "

Uh, then why is more and more airline piloting done by computer? When visibility is poor, they even land by computer! (called "Autoland")

I guess they don't talk to much about these "new-fangled inventions" on Fox News, huh?

So as a driver, how do I continue to tailgate slower cars or run red lights? I'll need to keep ahead of "the other guy" at all costs. Can I turn OFF the turn signal when I'm making a turn? When will these cars exceed the posted speed limits(25 is too slow in residential areas sometimes) and can we cancel their ability to come to a tire not rolling complete stop at all stop signs?
If the cars legally yield to pedestrians poised to cross the street, how can I turn that function off. I also need to be able to cut off cyclists when I make a right turn; something these cars simply will not do in their current law abiding format.

As a driver, I don't see how this will make things better on the road. Too many questions still need answering.

Extreme skepticism is warranted. There are a lot of situations these cars can't handle. Hence the need for a "safety driver" to accompany the "self-driving" car.

Web Link

As airlines have experienced recently, dependence on electronics and computers lessens the ability of pilots to make sound judgements and take appropriate actions. The use it or lose it principle applies. When people in automated cars no longer "drive" them, there'll be a lose of driving acumen and having a driver in the car who isn't keeping his/her skills honed and being constantly attentive will not help in an emergency situation. For some reason, this issue isn't being addressed.

Thanks rainbow38 for pointing out the dangers of reliance on computers whether in aviation or autos. As seen in the recent Asiana crash at SFO over reliance on machines can result in deaths.

Yes, the recent crash proves that computers are evil and are killing us. What a silly thing to say.

Of course humans never make mistakes and cause accidents.

Sadly, Lena and PA resident don't realize that aeronautical grade quad redundant flight control systems can fail and that the failsafe is the human in the loop. Does anyone think the Google car will be as sophisticated as an aircraft? Let's not be naive here, the self driving car is a threat to everyone's road safety just as drunk driving humans are.

@ban this contraption: Which part of "When you're digging yourself into a hole, STOP DIGGING!" do you NOT understand?

You sound like one of those awful '50s B-movie protagonists who would constantly shout, "They're coming to take us over! Computers will kill us all!!!"

Do humanity a favor, and actually read up on what you're commenting on.

Obviously stop the trolls has no experience working on sophisticated modern avionics. No one is saying computers are bad just that they are not perfect. If you want proof of human superiority over machine there are many examples on YouTube

@ban this contraption -- You REALLY don't get "When you're digging yourself into a hole, STOP DIGGING!" do you?

You obviously have no idea what you are talking about. I'm sure there's plenty of other things in Monta Loma for you to do to take up your time.