The Mountain View Police Department pulled over one of a Google car for driving too slowly on the roads of the Californian town. According to the MVPD, they were tipped off to the Google car because traffic was beginning to build up about 2.3 miles from Google’s headquarters.
The Car Was Was Too Slow
They confirmed the Google car was driving 24mph on a 35mph road. According to the statement, the officer approached the car after stopping it and made contact with the operators to learn more about how the Google car chooses its speeds. It turns out the Google car operates only on roadways with speed limits at or under 35mph, and the road it was transversing, El Camino Real, is rated at 35mph.
Google Meets With Police Regularly
Since Google Headquarters is under the Mountain View Police Department jurisdiction, they have frequent meetings to ensure that the Google car operates safely around the community. This feeds recent buzz about Google cars being almost too safe, too careful to operate in real roads. The car has its maximum speed capped at 25mph, but hopefully this will evolve as the technology evolves.
Google’s Self-Driving Cars Have Never Been Ticketed
Google commented on this in a blog post of their own, stating that the excitement of the Google car brings out curiosity in a lot of people. They state proudly that the Google car has carried out 1.2 million miles of autonomous driving, and they’ve never been ticketed.
