Google Claims Self-Driving Cars Can Now Master City Streets

Would YOU trust a driver less car?   Google says soon you will be able to.

According to Google researchers,  their fleet of driver less cars being tested can now handle many urban conditions that previously stumped their computer programs.

For at least a year or two now,  Google self driving cars have reportedly shown they can comfortably handle driving on freeways.   Now, thanks to tens of thousands of upgrades to computers,  researchers say they're ready to begin widespread testing on city streets.

It's part of programs being developed in what's called Google X,  their super-secret development lab at the search engine giant.  So far, with the new technology, Google self-driving cars have now logged some 10,000 miles of city driving, out of some 700,000 total miles.   Google is testing the technology using two dozen Lexus RX450H SUV's.

While current forms of the self-driving car allow the person sitting in the driver's seat to take over instantly in case of emergency,  Google hopes to perfect the technology to the point where a person could read a newspaper or  even sleep during a trip, whether it's to work, cross country or to the grocery store.

Google says it hopes to have the technology to the public by 2017.  Other manufacturers are also working on similar vehicles. Renault hopes to have a self-driving car available by the year 2020.  And if you think it's all a pipe dream,   Nevada, California, Florida, Michigan and Washington D.C. already have written or are currently writing "driver less" car laws.