Surveillance footage from a public bus in Mountain View documents a Google self-driving car swiping into the side of a bus, marking the first time that Google’s self-driving car was at fault in an accident.
In the video, one can make out Google’s Lexus RX SUV momentarily hitting the ride side of the bus, which triggers a reaction from the bus driver, who stops the bus to check for damage, and the passengers.
Google had documented the accident in its monthly report on its self-driving cars.
“[The self-driving car] began angling back toward the center of the lane at around 2 mph -- and made contact with the side of a passing bus traveling at 15 mph,” the report states. “Our car had detected the approaching bus, but predicted that it would yield to us because we were ahead of it.”
The accident is a blow to the reputation of Google’s self-driving cars, which the company boasts is safer than cars driven by humans, and it has repeatedly touted the fact that since testing began, Google’s cars have driven more than 1 million miles on public roads without being responsible for an accident.
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