Google gets Nevada driving licence for self-drive car DCM comments

May 29, 2012 - PRLog -- Driverless cars will soon be a reality on the roads of Nevada after the state approved America's first self-driven vehicle licence. The first to hit the highway will be a Toyota Prius modified by search firm Google, which is leading the way in driverless car technology. DCM a sales and marketing company based in Maidstone United Kingdom said “This is first of its kind, we see this self driven car driving in Nevada it will not be long before we see them on the streets of Britain.” Its first drive included a spin down Las Vegas's famous strip.


Engineers at Google have previously tested the car on the streets of California, including crossing San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. The car uses video cameras mounted on the roof, radar sensors and a laser range finder to "see" other traffic. For those tests, the car remained manned at all times by a trained driver ready to take control if the software failed. “This is incredible. Words fail to express how incredible this invention in and it just goes to show how far technology has progressed. In 1969 we put a man on the moon in 2012 we have a car driving itself down the Vegas strip.” said a source close to DCM. According to software engineer Sebastian Thrun, the car has covered 140,000 miles with no accidents, other than a bump at traffic lights from a car behind.

Nevada changed its laws to allow self-driven cars in March. The long-term plan is to license members of the public to drive such cars. Bruce Breslow, director of Nevada's Department of Motor Vehicles, says he believes driverless vehicles are the "cars of the future". “Mr Brislow described these cars as cars of the future and he is absolutely correct. As a child I remember thinking when I grow up we will have flying cars and I am sure my children will have the same thoughts, here we are in 2012 with cars driving themselves.” said Damian Croft of DCM. “I ask you this question. How long do you think it will be before we see not airplanes in the skies but cars? Call me crazy but if you had told me that one day we will have self driving cars in the state of Nevada crazy is exactly what I would be calling you.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17989553