Nevada approves first public self-driving cars
Vehicles, being tested in Las Vegas, could be on the market in three years
LAS VEGAS – Nevada drivers could soon be sharing the road with vehicles that don’t need them.
Department of Motor Vehicles officials said Monday they’ve issued Google the nation’s first license to test self-driving cars on public streets, after conducting demonstrations on the Las Vegas Strip and in Carson City that show the car is as safe – or perhaps safer – than a human.
“It gets honked at more often because it’s being safe,” said Nevada DMV Director Bruce Breslow.
Self-driving vehicle technology works like autopilot to guide a car – in this case a modified Prius – with little or no intervention from a human operator. Laser radar mounted on the roof and in the grill detects pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles, creating a virtual buffer zone around the obstacles that the car then avoids.
Last summer, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval took the car for a spin in and around the state’s quiet capital, Carson City. But Las Vegas Boulevard, where costumed superheroes routinely take the crosswalks and massive billboards angle for the attention of starry-eyed tourists, was perhaps best suited to test the car’s main purpose.
“They’re designed to avoid distracted driving,” Breslow said. “When you’re on the Strip and there’s a huge truck with three scantily clad women on the side, the car only sees a box.”
So far, Google’s applied to license three test vehicles. Breslow said the cars will display red plates and an infinity symbol to represent their status as vehicles of the future.
Once they’re ready for the market – something Breslow guesses could come in three to five years – the plates will be green.