Google has in Montain View (California), with a Lexys 450h, an autonomous SUV with which it is constantly conducting driving tests to perfect the system. So far we have talked at length about the accidents caused by it, all of minor depth, however, today we have to talk about the most serious accident that Google's autonomous car has suffered, but keep the criticism, the accident was caused by the human driver of the other vehicle involved. This may be a turning point for the way we see autonomous driving, which could be key in the study and reduction of traffic accidents.
It was last Friday when the Google car was hit by a van from Interstate Batteries, a battery company. Fortunately, there has been no personal injury to any of the parties involved, however Google's autonomous car has suffered significant damage to the sides and sensors. Meanwhile, the Mercedes Vito used by the driver who caused the accident has been significantly damaged at the front.
The cause of the accident was the traffic light, not because it was off or because the sensors of Google's autonomous car did not detect it, but because the driver of the van ignored the light signal.
According to the Google report, the traffic light had already been green for six seconds, however, the Google car is constantly monitored by a person at the wheel, so the engineer in charge, witnessing the ignoring of the van driver, took He controlled Google's autonomous car and pressed the brakes, although he could do nothing, the impact was inevitable.
Google has not released the recording of the accident, however, it is quick to report that 94% of intercity accidents are caused by human error, so autonomous driving will make driving in cities more efficient and safer.