Google’s self-driving vehicles are making their way to Austin

Google has announced that its modified Lexus RX 450h driverless vehicles will be hitting the public roads in Austin as the search giant tries to accumulate data on driving conditions across different parts of the country. From Google: “We’ve chosen Austin, Texas, as a new testing location for our project, and one of our Lexus SUVs is there now, with safety drivers aboard, driving a few square miles north and northeast of downtown Austin. It’s important for us to get experience testing our software in different driving environments, traffic patterns and road conditions—so we’re ready to take on Austin’s pedicabs, pickup trucks, and everything in between.” Google revealed that in the month of June, its self-driving cars (Lexus RX 450h) were involved in two human-error accidents, with a total of 14 collisions since they took to the streets in 2009. The prototype cars — which took to public roads in California last month — have not been involved in any accidents until now.