So far, Google’s driverless cars have managed to stay relatively safe during testing, despite the odd ding.
Earlier this year one of the self-driving vehicles went into the side of a bus after the car’s software expected the bus to slow down to allow it into its lane.
And Google has previously revealed its autonomous vehicles almost crashed a total of 13 times in the 14 months leading up to January 2016.
Related: Apple Car
But this weekend, one of the company’s Lexus cars was involved in the most serious crash yet with a commercial van.
As 9to5Google reports, the car itself was seemingly not to blame for this latest incident, in which the van reportedly went through a red traffic light and collided with the Lexus.
No one was hurt in the crash, which took place at an intersection in Mountain View, California – home to Google headquarters.
Google has provided 9to5Google with a statement which reads: “A Google vehicle was traveling northbound on Phyllis Ave. in Mountain View when a car heading westbound on El Camino Real ran a red light and collided with the right side of our vehicle.
“Our light was green for at least six seconds before our car entered the intersection. Thousands of crashes happen everyday on U.S. roads, and red-light running is the leading cause of urban crashes in the U.S.
“Human error plays a role in 94% of these crashes, which is why we’re developing fully self-driving technology to make our roads safer.”
Whereas the crash involving the bus earlier this year was the first incident in which the self-driving software was at fault, it seems this weekend’s collision was down to human error.
WATCH: Tesla Model S Review
Let us know your thoughts on self-driving cars in the comments.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
