California

VIDEO: Google Self-Driving SUV Sideswipes Bus Near Company's Mountain View Headquarters

Newly released video shows the first time a Google self-driving car being tested in public caused an accident.

The Lexus SUV, outfitted by Google with special sensors, struck a public bus on Valentine’s Day near the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California.

The short video — released to the Associated Press by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation (VTA) through a Public Records Act request — doesn't actually show the collision, but you can make out an outline of the SUV as it sideswipes the right side of the bus, surprising the driver, who then stops the bus to check out the damage.

The video shows the VTA bus driving on Camino Real in Mountain View with the passengers and the driver inside. The end of the video shows damage to the front quarter panel of the Lexus and the rear sliding door of the bus.

According to an accident report submitted online to the California Department of Motor Vehicles by Google, the Lexus sustained body damage to the left front quarter, the left front wheel and one of its driver's-side sensors.

The fender-bender appears to be the first time one of the tech company's vehicles caused a crash during testing. No one was injured, according to the accident report Google wrote and submitted to the DMV.

Google accepted at least some responsibility for the collision.

According to the report, Google's car intended to turn right off a major boulevard when it detected sandbags around a storm drain at the intersection. The right lane was wide enough to let some cars turn and others go straight, but the Lexus needed to slide to its left within the right lane to get around the obstruction.

The Lexus was going 2 mph when it made the move and its left front struck the right side of the bus, which was going straight at 15 mph.

The car's test driver — who under state law must be in the front seat to grab the wheel when needed — thought the bus would yield and did not have control before the collision, Google said.

While the report does not address fault, Google said in a written statement, "We clearly bear some responsibility, because if our car hadn't moved there wouldn't have been a collision."

Google cars have been involved in nearly a dozen collisions in or around Mountain View since starting to test on city streets in the spring of 2014. In most cases, Google's cars were rear-ended. No one has been seriously injured.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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