Google Betting On Nevada For Driverless Cars

Google Betting On Nevada For Driverless Cars

Technology giant Google is lobbying for legislation that would make Nevada the first state where driverless cars could be legally operated on public roads. Two bills in the Nevada legislature would provide for the licensing and testing of autonomous vehicles, as well as an exemption from the ban on distracted driving to allow a driver to send text messages from behind the wheel. A vote on the proposals may come as early as June.

Google says it has already test-driven robotic driverless vehicles, including Toyota Priuses, more than 140,000 miles on California roads, including Highway 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Those cars were not driverless. They were tested with a passenger monitoring computer equipment and a driver positioned to take control if something goes wrong. Some proponents of Google’s autonomous vehicles envision them as automated taxis on the Las Vegas casino strip.

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