(855) 4-LEMON-LAW
(855) 453-6665

News and Information

APR
04
2013

Google Cars Causing Mild Tumult In Mountain View, Commuters Say

Multiple news articles have been commenting on the innovation that the Google car has been capable of promoting, which is now pushing for a major change in the auto industry.

The public has been exposed to several articles mentioning just how groundbreaking this technology is and how the future of the auto industry may look much brighter once this technology is available for all, due to its focus on safety. Up to this moment, the company has logged over 200,000 miles in test and engineers are confident that sooner than later, the autonomous car technology could be fully available to the public.

Some, however, find the presence of the Google cars in their local roads something closer to a nuisance and even hazard. According to the news, residents of Mountain View, California are now more used to the presence of the fully autonomous vehicle, but it hasn’t always been that way.

According to one reporter who lives in the region, the autonomous vehicle is always seen traveling on local roads. According to some of the locals, the Google car drives much better than humans, signals correctly and always proceeds to change lanes in a safe manner, however, the presence of the Google car influences other drivers and make the roads less safe because of its novelty. Large stickers that read “Self-Driving Car” grab the attention of drivers around them. Some say that, in some cases, curious drivers look into the vehicle and attempt to make sense of it, looking for a driver or expecting to maybe see a series of cables inside of the vehicle instead. This leads to a series of delays and distractions, which cause even contained drivers to lose their temper.

In one occasion, the five self-driving vehicles run by Google were gathered at a local gas station, all pumping gas at the same time while a line of other cars waited. Such images make some locals nervous, leading to an increase dislike of the technology and Google itself. According to some reports, curious drivers get even more dangerous when they pass a Google car and attempt to look over their shoulder to take a better look into the vehicle, which causes them to get their eyes off the road for certain amounts of time.

In spite of the many problems, most residents understand that these nuisances are nothing in comparison to the great innovation that this technology is pushing forward. The issues related to how curious people get over the Google car could after all be a small price to pay for the major technology that is being developed.

For the full article, follow this link to read more about how the Google car is affecting the local community in Mountain View.

COMMENT : Off
About the Author
The Vachon Law Firm is based in Southern California and focuses exclusively on consumer protection litigation.