1. Google Driverless Car Crashes in CA, as Stats Show Fear Is Top Hurdle For Industry

One of Google’s driverless cars collided with a public bus in California (credit: Alphabet/Google)

The news was dominated this week by reports that one of Google’s driverless cars “crashed” into a public bus in California.

The word ‘crash’ — while good for headlines — is a bit overdone. In reality, the two vehicles brushed against each other, with Google’s car moving at 2mph and the bus at 15mph.

This is the first reported crash of an autonomous car, and it threatens to paint the industry in an unflattering light as it tries to convince the public of the safety of its vehicles.

3 in 4 Americans would be “afraid” to ride in a self-driving car

Google explained that its autonomous car “thought” the bus was going to slow down. It didn’t. The company claimed that the Google employee in the car also thought that there was space to pull out, and the crash would have happened even if a human had been behind the wheel.

Google said it has already made changes to its programming.

This is in the same week as it was revealed that 3 in 4 Americans would be “afraid” to ride in a self-driving car, and that only 1 in 5 would trust a car to drive itself.

The industry still obviously has some way to go.