Pressurized DMV releases Google’s self-driving car accidents data

Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), California, this week announced they will release the crash dump data of Google’s self-driving cars. Initially, DMV refused to release any of its data, but after constant pressure from the press, the DMV is finally convinced and agreed to issue reports covering six incidents of the self-driving car crash.

Roger Sato, DMV attorney, said in a statement to the Associated Press that DMV could release the factual information related to the self-driving vehicle reports, but it won’t include any personal information in the reports.

The tech giant Google itself released some information on car accidents earlier this month, upon being questioned during the annual stockholder meeting. The reports said that the accidents, 12 in number, were all due to human errors, and no casualties were reported so far, as the accidents were mostly rear-ended crashes.

DMV has released reports on six of such incidents, and with personal information removed there isn’t much to reveal in the reports except for the exact time and location of the accidents. DMV’s decision is still significant in adding a layer of transparency, as the self-driving vehicles are nowadays becoming more high profile.

The reports contain the mention of two companies, namely Google and Delphi, who are related with the autonomous vehicle accidents. These companies made auto parts to make the cars autonomous and were approved to test them on California’s roads. Five other companies are also approved to test their self-driving cars in California, including Uber, according to the Associated Press.

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The autonomous cars tested by Google are mostly modified Lexus SUVs, but the tech giant is now planning its custom made car, and will soon be testing it on Mountain View roads in California. Google stated that it’s proud of the safety records till now, and considering over 5 million minor accidents that are kept from being reported to DMV each year, the company concludes that their five minor accidents with no injuries are a small fry.

Uber, the ride sharing company, has also been testing its self-driving cars in California. According to the reports, Uber is working out on its facility in Pittsburgh to research on autonomous cars, competing with the yet-to-be-announced autonomous car from Google. Google’s autonomous car will ride at 25 miles per hour, featuring a safety driver on board with a steering wheel, brake and accelerator pedal for emergency purposes.