Assuming they ever come on the market.
Google tests self-driving cars: The latest models of Google's self-driving cars are cruising the streets near the Internet company's Silicon Valley headquarters. This marks the first time the pod-like, two-seat vehicles have been allowed on public roads since Google unveiled them more than a year ago. A human will also ride in the cars to take control in emergencies.
Since it created the project in 2009, Google has upgraded its fleet of cars from Priuses to Lexus S.U.V.s, and the navigational hardware, positioned in the vehicle trunk, is now more compact. Also, when the driver switches into autopilot, it no longer makes a neat, swooshing Star Trek sound effect. Rather, an anodyne female voice informs passengers that the car is now driving.
During the half-hour demonstration the one noticeable behavioral quirk that the Lexus exhibited was that it seemed to change lanes with emphasis. There was no gradually meandering from one lane to the next as a human driver might. The Google Lexus was all business.
Otherwise, it obeyed the speed limit, alerted the driver that it was approaching a crosswalk, and kept a close eye on the cars, pedestrians and bicyclists that were in its vicinity.
This could also have a major impact on the whole drunk-driving issue, no?
"But occifer, the *hic* car was driving. *hic*"
In actuality cops won't likely have reason to pull over someone making their way home in one of these while drunk, if these cars do what they're being touted as being able to do.
Way of the future? Or waste of time?
Would you ever consider buying one? Parents, buy one for your kid?