Nevada lets Google's driverless car hit the open road, requires it to bring a driver

Driving through Las Vegas can be distracting -- bright lights, sun-powered death rays and international Consumer Electronics Shows have a tendency to catch a geek's eye -- good thing, then, that Nevada's deemed Google fit to test its autonomous automobile on public streets. The state's Department of Transportation was tasked with penning a set of safety standards for self-driving cars last June, and is now letting the cars run amok on city streets, with a few restrictions.

Mountain View's three test vehicles, for instance, will need to haul a carpool of at least two passengers before driving down the strip, one person to take the wheel in case of an emergency, and another to monitor a computer screen that details the car's planned route. Test vehicles will also don red license plates and an infinity symbol to mark them as self-driving prototypes. Nevada DMV Director Bruce Breslow says those plates will be green once the vehicles are ready for market, something he hopes to see in three to five years.

Nevada lets Google's driverless car hit the open road, requires it to bring a driver originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 23:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.