Driverless Cars Hit the Nevada Streets

   By drodriguez  May 15, 2012

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The idea of spotting a car speeding along the highway and realizing there is no driver may become more reality than nightmare. Forbes reports about Google’s move to license driverless cars in the state of Nevada.

Google will now begin to experiment with driverless vehicles in Nevada before they expand the use of these kinds of cars. You will know if you see one because they are all marked with a distinctive red license plate and an infinity symbol on the side.

Department Director Bruce Breslow explains the reason for the red plates and symbol on the driverless cars. Breslow says, “I felt using the infinity symbol was the best way to represent the ‘car of the future. The unique red plate will be easily recognized by the public and law enforcement and will be used only for licensed autonomous test vehicles. When there comes a time that vehicle manufacturers market autonomous vehicles to the public, that infinity symbol will appear on a green license plate.”

Though the idea of driverless cars becoming mainstreamed into the flow of traffic across the nation makes some people uneasy, the new automation may actually prove to be safer for drivers who talk on cell phones or get behind the wheel while intoxicated. The design is similar to cruise control in that a driver simply has to tap on the brakes to put the car back in manual mode.

What do you think of Google licensing these driverless cars in Nevada?

Do you think this type of automated vehicle will be the way of the future?