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Google Car Pulled Over For Driving Too Slow, Doesn't Get a Ticket (thenextweb.com)
New submitter slickwillie writes: A Google self-driving car was pulled over for going too slow. A photo uploaded to Facebook by Zandr Milewski shows one of Google's self-driving cars being pulled over by a Mountain View, California police officer. On on its Self-Driving Car Project page on Google+ the team wrote: "We’ve capped the speed of our prototype vehicles at 25mph for safety reasons. We want them to feel friendly and approachable, rather than zooming scarily through neighborhood streets. The Mountain View Police Department also commented on the traffic stop in a blog post saying in part: "...The officer stopped the car and made contact with the operators to learn more about how the car was choosing speeds along certain roadways and to educate the operators about impeding traffic per 22400(a) of the California Vehicle Code. The Google self-driving cars operate under the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Definition per 385.5 of the California Vehicle Code and can only be operated on roadways with speed limits at or under 35 mph. In this case, it was lawful for the car to be traveling on the street as El Camino Real is rated at 35 mph."
These prototypes may not be ready for prime time. Personally, I wouldn't buy a car that can't cross the Bay Bridge.
However, other "Google Cars" (like the modified Lexus) are capable of full highway speed. There are several autonomous vehicles that are being tested at highway speed.
The right to protest the State is more sacred than the State.
Basically what I take away from this is that the cars are not ready for prime-time if they're limited to NEV speeds
My wife's Telsa got an autopilot upgrade last week. It can now mostly drive itself. It stays in its lane, changes lanes when necessary, and can brake and/or accelerate to maintain distance. It works fine at full highway speed. It is clearly labeled as "beta" software, so you aren't allowed to take a nap or read a magazine, but The only time the human needs to take control is to turn at intersections.
Errr... I don't think it changes lanes "when necessary". It'll only change lanes when the driver uses the turn signal while autopilot is in operation (and when it has latched onto the proper lane markings).
(yes, I have received the AP update too, but that was quite a while ago)
It's very cool technology, but it requires much more attention than just at intersections. There's no need to overstate its abilities: it's already very impressive as it is.
That's CVC 21656, but it's 5 or more vehicles, and it's only applicable on 2-lane highways.
Related laws are CVC 22400 and CVC 21654.
And on freeway onramps where 2 vehicles are permitted for each green light.
Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
Nope. Following too closely is following too closely. How do you explain that you managed to drive into the back of someone if you weren't following too closely? All your dashcam is going to show is that, yup, you were too close. And nobody said 'slam on your brakes', they said 'hard tap'.
Guess I just have to copy and paste my comment in response to everybody who got modded up without reading the article... oh nevermind. They didn't ticket the car because the cop was wrong to stop it. NEV vehicles are required to travel at 25mph or less (If they can go faster, they're not a NEV at least in FL where I live and also in NJ where I used to live) and they are allowed on roads with limits up to 35mph. Yes this means you will have a 25mph NEV on a 35mph road. It's how the law is written. The police offer couldn't tell that the vehicle was a NEV so he stopped it in error and apologized. This is a non-story except maybe they should paint NEV in large letters to make it clearer.