Google’s Driverless Car Rear-Ended, Brin Says, Defending Effort
2015-06-03 18:57:39.393 GMT
By Brian Womack
(Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. Co-Founder Sergey Brin said one
of its driverless car was involved in another rear-end accident,
even as he defended the prospects for the self-driving
technology.
The accident occurred in the past week, Brin said Wednesday
during a meeting of shareholders in Mountain View, California.
Google’s self-driving vehicles have been involved in 11
accidents in the six years they’ve been in testing, though none
was the fault of the car, the company said last month.
“I’m very proud of the record of our cars,” Brin said.
“Our goal is to beat human drivers.”
Google is grappling with questions about the safety and
performance of driverless cars. The company’s investment in such
vehicles is part of its internal project, Google X, that focuses
on long-term opportunities for cutting-edge technologies. Google
has touted safety as an advantage for the cars that can use
sensors, maps and other tools to avoid the mistakes leading to
accidents caused by human drivers.
The majority of the collisions happened when the
experimental cars were hit from behind, with some on the freeway
and some at traffic lights, Chris Urmson, director of Google’s
self-driving program, said last month in a blog post.
Google has tested the technology on public streets using
existing autos made by Toyota Motor Corp. The company said last
month it would begin this summer to put 25 of the bubble-shaped
vehicles it has made on roads in Mountain View to analyze their
performance.
Company Proposals
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, Google Chief Legal Officer
David Drummond said shareholders approved the election of
directors, the ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as independent
accountant and the issuance of additional shares for its equity
incentive plans.
The company, whose voting power is controlled by Brin, co-
founder Larry Page and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, turned
down all stockholder proposals.
Schmidt, addressing a question about Apple Inc., said the
company is a Google partner and a competitor, saying the search
business between the companies as important.
For Related News and Information:
Google to Unleash Its Self-Driving Cars on California Roads
Google Says Self-Driving Vehicles Were Involved in 11 Accidents
Top technology stories: TTOP<GO>
To contact the reporter on this story:
Brian Womack in San Francisco at +1-415-617-7218 or
bwomack1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Jillian Ward at +1-415-617-7261 or
jward56@bloomberg.net
Andrew Pollack, Tony Robinson
2015-06-03 18:57:39.393 GMT
By Brian Womack
(Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. Co-Founder Sergey Brin said one
of its driverless car was involved in another rear-end accident,
even as he defended the prospects for the self-driving
technology.
The accident occurred in the past week, Brin said Wednesday
during a meeting of shareholders in Mountain View, California.
Google’s self-driving vehicles have been involved in 11
accidents in the six years they’ve been in testing, though none
was the fault of the car, the company said last month.
“I’m very proud of the record of our cars,” Brin said.
“Our goal is to beat human drivers.”
Google is grappling with questions about the safety and
performance of driverless cars. The company’s investment in such
vehicles is part of its internal project, Google X, that focuses
on long-term opportunities for cutting-edge technologies. Google
has touted safety as an advantage for the cars that can use
sensors, maps and other tools to avoid the mistakes leading to
accidents caused by human drivers.
The majority of the collisions happened when the
experimental cars were hit from behind, with some on the freeway
and some at traffic lights, Chris Urmson, director of Google’s
self-driving program, said last month in a blog post.
Google has tested the technology on public streets using
existing autos made by Toyota Motor Corp. The company said last
month it would begin this summer to put 25 of the bubble-shaped
vehicles it has made on roads in Mountain View to analyze their
performance.
Company Proposals
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, Google Chief Legal Officer
David Drummond said shareholders approved the election of
directors, the ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as independent
accountant and the issuance of additional shares for its equity
incentive plans.
The company, whose voting power is controlled by Brin, co-
founder Larry Page and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, turned
down all stockholder proposals.
Schmidt, addressing a question about Apple Inc., said the
company is a Google partner and a competitor, saying the search
business between the companies as important.
For Related News and Information:
Google to Unleash Its Self-Driving Cars on California Roads
Google Says Self-Driving Vehicles Were Involved in 11 Accidents
Top technology stories: TTOP<GO>
To contact the reporter on this story:
Brian Womack in San Francisco at +1-415-617-7218 or
bwomack1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Jillian Ward at +1-415-617-7261 or
jward56@bloomberg.net
Andrew Pollack, Tony Robinson