“Look Mom, No Hands!”

Driving without your hands on the wheel or feet on the pedals may not be as dangerous as you think it is – if you are operating Google’s new self-driving car.

According to a recent CNNMoney article, Nevada is the first state to license the vehicles, which are still in testing stages and not publicly available. The article explains that the majority of crashes that result in traffic deaths are caused by human-driver error. Quoting the head of auto testing at Consumer Reports, computer driven cars could reduce accidents, but only if all cars are computer driven because humans are better than computers at predicting human behavior.

The self-driving car uses sensors to watch for cars, pedestrians, and other objects; GPS tracking; wheel motion sensors and radar; and software that allows it to read street signs and signals. Some vehicles already use “driver assistance technologies” such as (1) Electronic Stability Control to help drivers maintain control during abrupt maneuvers, (2) blind spot alerts to warn drivers of other vehicles, (3) forward collision alerts to warn drivers when approaching a car too quickly, and (4) active cruise control which automatically maintains a safe following distance behind vehicles at highway speeds.