OK, Google, we’ll give you points for this. The company’s self-driving cars not only recognize cyclists’ hand signals and anticipate him or her moving into the lane, but the software isn’t phased when the cyclist changes his mind several times. Check it out starting at 1:02 in the demo above.
Google test driver Priscilla explains that at intersections, “the car will stop and wait until the path is clear. We even detect the cyclist approaching from behind and wait until they’ve passed. Once the cyclist has gone by, the vehicle determines that it’s safe to turn.” That’s more than we can say about most drivers.
In fact, Reddit users have already said everything we would. Here’s a sampling:
Google Cars are already better at driving than most people.
Alternative to self-driving cars: teach the world how to drive like the Dutch do. They actually look out for cyclists.
I’d take a Google car in its current form over a texting driver.
Google still has more testing to do, so in the meantime, here’s hoping humanoid drivers are more careful and that cyclist visibility tools like the Blaze Laserlight catch on.
