Google's Autonomous Car Is A Slow-moving Scofflaw

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole

On Thursday, Google’s autonomous car development team reported that Mountain View, California police pulled over the robot car for traveling too slowly. No ticket was issued.

According to the team’s Google Plus page, officers pulled over the car because they “want to know more about the project.” According to Mountain View police, the officer wanted reminded the car’s human passengers that impeding traffic is against the law. Tomato, potato.

Nonetheless, the traffic event brought up many questions about our autonomous future, including traffic enforcement. Google said engineers can control the car to pull over for law enforcement despite not having a steering wheel.

Yep, no steering wheel. Here’s a look inside Google’s self-driving car. http://t.co/NKimwYYyH6pic.twitter.com/hLDkgXmBJ7

— Matt McFarland (@mattmcfarland) July 13, 2015

Will future police be able to immobilize rogue robot machines? Who pays the ticket if the driver really, truly, honest-to-god-sir-or-ma’am didn’t actually do anything? Who will pay for the Wyoming Highway Patrol’s new sweet-ass Camaro if they can’t consistently pinch people along Interstate 80 between Rock Springs and Rawlins in completely miserable speed traps and make up fake construction zones because you’ve already been ticketed today for doing 5 over the speed limit and really this is just ridiculous, it’s my 20th birthday for god sakes, where are the road cones?

Oh.

For what it’s worth, Google says its autonomous car has traveled 1.2 million miles without any tickets. The car has been involved in 11 reported crashes with only minor injuries. Most of those crashes were, in part, not the robot car’s fault.


Aaron Cole
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14 of 62 comments
  • Pdq Pdq on Nov 13, 2015

    Does one have to have a drivers license to "operate" one of these? In essence, you're just along for the ride. Either way (with or without the license), who is the ticket written out to for any violations? The occupant of the car isn't really driving it and can't be held responsible.

    • See 4 previous
    • Pch101 Pch101 on Nov 14, 2015

      @Pch101 I'm sure that the automated systems will do a much better job than they do now. But that won't mean that you will be able to ignore what they're doing.

  • RideHeight RideHeight on Nov 14, 2015

    Cool... just realized that cop bike is a Moto Guzzi. I had such a serious jones on for those in the '90s. Oops, fooled by a boxer, I think it's a beemer.

    • -Nate -Nate on Nov 16, 2015

      BMW R1200RTP . Pretty good Motos although I don't want one . -Nate

  • Tedward Tedward on Nov 14, 2015

    I know this is going to sound a little aggressive but if I ran into these on my daily I'd experiment with their avoidance programs. If I close from behind with a twenty mph differential will the pod get out of the damn way? How about thirty? I would be pretty pissed off by the 25mph roadblock either way. Even if I didn't actually try to spook them into a ditch.

  • RideHeight RideHeight on Nov 16, 2015

    Look at that photo with the cop. Is that a little styrofoam cuppa cawfee on the dash?!

    • See 3 previous
    • RideHeight RideHeight on Nov 16, 2015

      @Corey Lewis No, that'll never happen. I found out in my last tea cycle ('80s) that even brands claiming great caffeine content (Morning Thunder) simply can't even approach the milligrams in their bitter, over-brewed, barely drinkable cup that a plain old cuppa joe has, let alone some serious espresso.

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