Google Self-Driving Car Might Have Caused First Crash In Autonomous Mode (roboticstrends.com)

An anonymous reader writes: While driving in autonomous mode, a Google self-driving car was involved in an accident with a public bus in California on Valentine's Day, according to an accident report filed with the California DMV.The accident report, signed by Chris Urmson, says the Google self-driving car was trying to get around some sandbags on a street when its left front struck the bus' right side. The car was going 2 mph, while the bus was going 15 mph.Google said its car's safety driver thought the bus would yield. No injuries were reported. If it's determined the Google self-driving car was at fault, it would be the first time one of its cars caused an accident while in autonomous mode.

Comments

Re:Might?

[mjwx]

If the google car had right of way, traffic laws in your area are fucked up. A car changing lanes does not have right of way. The damage was to the left wheel and front bumper, this means it was hit on the side.

This highlights just how badly autonomous vehicles handle unexpected situations. The driver was expected to intervene at this point but according to the article, he thought the bus would let him in. A defensive driver should know that isn't the case unless the other driver has communicated it to you. They also know a bus will never let you in.

Realistically, the accident occurred because the driver wasn't doing his job.