Get ready to see more robots on the road. Google is about to move its fleet of driverless cars out of the initial ‘test phase’ and onto the streets.
The tech giant announced plans to have its next generation of driverless car hit the road for tests this summer. It is one of seven companies testing driverless technology in California.
Tech analyst Rob Enderle says so far, the results are good.
“The cars are doing very well on the road,” he said. “(There have been) very few accidents, and the accidents have all been caused by other people. The cars themselves have not been the cause of any accidents.”
But the cutting-edge technology is driving the Department of Motor Vehicles to re-write the rules of the road to catch up. They hope to have a first draft of the new rules later this summer.
And the technology is fueling its share of anxiety among other drivers.
Enderle attributes that to the distrust of anything new.
“I think it’s a cool concept. But I’m just not sure if the technology is ready yet. I think it’s going to still be a few years down the road,” said driver Abby Schimmack.
Google hopes to have the first driverless cars for sale by 2017, and it may be hard to put the brakes on the new technology whether we’re ready for it or not.
“Once people realize that these systems are always alert – they’re never going to be distracted or sleepy or have one too many drinks – then you’ll realize that they can be much safer,” Enderle said.
