WATCH ABOVE: What is it like to be a passenger when the driver isn’t touching the wheel? Cnet.com’s Sumi Das was able to take one for a test ride.
TORONTO – A white Lexus SUV stopped at an intersection creeps forward impatiently waiting for the light to change. The light turns green and slowly the car pulls forward, leaving enough room for cyclists to pass by.
Sounds like your average city drive. But this car has no driver.
A group of journalists had the rare opportunity to take a test drive in one of Google’s self-driving cars this week, taking to the streets of Mountain View, California to experience what it’s like to be a passenger in an autonomous car.
READ MORE: Race to bring driverless cars to road takes mark in 2014
Google has been testing the self-driving cars on city streets for months, allowing the technology to master thousands of “urban driving” situations including jaywalkers and cyclists.
TIME technology writer Harry McCracken live-tweeted his journey around Mountain View in the Google car on Tuesday. Through his tweets he revealed that the car was intuitive enough to detect traffic cones at a construction site and identify pedestrian crosswalks.
The technology giant has been working on the self-driving car since 2009, but estimates that the technology won’t be ready for mass market until 2017.
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