Self-driving cars: Google begins roads tests of new driverless car prototypes

Google Inc said on Thursday it had started testing the latest prototypes of its **self-driving cars** on Mountain View, California roads, with safety drivers aboard. The prototypes will join Google’s Lexus cars, which use the same self-driving software, the company said in a blog post on Thursday. Google’s self-driving Lexus RX450h sport utility vehicles have been in operation for several years. Although the prototypes are designed to work without a steering wheel or pedals, safety drivers will have a removable steering wheel, accelerator pedal and brake pedal during the test phase in case they need to take over driving. Earlier this month, Google launched a website specifically for the self-driving car. That came after increasing criticism by customers and consumer groups that the search giant was not providing enough information about the project. Google has so far **reported 12 accidents** involving the prototypes. Injuries have been minor, the search giant has said, and accidents were mostly a result of human error by the drivers of the other cars involved. Reuters