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Nevada is first state to approve self-driving cars

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
May 8th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Nevada has become the first state in the United States to allow self-driving automobiles on its roads. Two months ago, Nevada approved and set regulations that would allow self-driving vehicles on local roadways. The State of Nevada has since announced that it has approved Google for the first testing license under the new rules.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Google was instrumental in pushing through the original legislation in Nevada. The Internet search engine giant has been testing its very own self-driving automobile for a number of years on its campuses and other secret locations.

"It is the first license issued in the United States under new laws and regulations that put Nevada at the forefront of autonomous vehicle development," the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement.

Google will now be able to test its self-driving Toyota Priuses on the roads. This includes the world-famous Las Vegas strip. Drivers will be able to tell self-driving cars apart by a red license plate, which features an infinity symbol to the left. The new cars will be everywhere apparent by the large scanning laser device on the top of the car.

While Google is the first to file for an application for a license in Nevada, other car manufacturers such as BMW and Audi are working on similar vehicles. The cars themselves use a mix of hardware and software to drive themselves.

Google insists that the technology is not supposed to replace drivers, but instead help them. Instead of attempting to text while driving or change the GPS location, drivers can let the car do the work while they are distracted.

There is a stipulation to the self-driving cars. Nevada requires that two drivers be in the test cars now, a human back-up driver and a passenger. In the limited test program, however, Google is asking to exempt those back-up drivers from text messaging while driving laws.

Real-live human beings can always gain control of the car by taking hold of the wheel or stepping on the brake.

While this is a big step in the future of the self-driving vehicle, the world probably won't be seeing these cars hitting prime time just yet. Google's version is still in the prototype phase. General Motors has predicted the technology will be standard by 2020.

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