They’re supposed to make our roads safer, but new figures have revealed that a number of self-driving cars have been getting into prangs on American roads.
With just 48 autonomous vehicles currently being tested on Californian streets, four self-driving cars have been involved in crashes in the past eight months.
Three of these unfortunate incidents involved converted Lexus SUVs pimped out by Google, while the fourth belonged to parts supplier Delphi Automotive.
This might not be a sign of the machines’ uprising just yet, however. According to BusinessInsider, just two of the four incidents occurred when the self-driving cars had taken control.
The other occasions had a human at the controls.
Despite the multiple fender-benders, both
In the incidents in which the driverless cars were running the show, the cars are said to have been travelling at speeds less than 10mph.
The Californian Department of Motor Vehicles has refused to comment on the cause of any of the accidents.
Related: Driverless Cars: Everything you need to know
Autonomous cars are currently banned from UK roads, although this could be set to change in the not too distant future.
Earlier this year, the UK government confirmed it would review the nation’s motoring legislation to accommodate driverless cars in summer 2017.
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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.
