 Google has been showing off its work on driverless cars for a few years now, but up until this week, those vehicles always used a human driver or two for backup. There was a steering wheel, brakes, and gas, just in case the computer conked out or a person needed to take over in an emergency. But all that has changed with the introduction of Google's new completely autonomous vehicles. The prototype car doesn't have a steering wheel or pedals, and passengers are buckled into what are essentially back seats. These cars aren't street legal yet, but while regulators iron out the details of when and where they can drive, Google is intent on showing that automobiles are far safer without any input from us puny humans. Rob Medford, Google's director of safety on the Driverless Car Project, says that more than 90% of automobile accidents are caused by human error. That adds up to around 33,000 people killed every year, the leading cause of death for people between the ages of four and 34. Google's newest unit is purpose-built for safety. The form factor means its cameras and sensors have no blind spots and can detect objects for 360 degrees and as far as 200 yards away. The all-electric vehicle tops out at 25 miles per hour and has a front end built of soft foam, tweaks Google hopes will cushion any pedestrians struck head-on by the car. The company acknowledges that an accident is inevitable, but says collisions will be far less frequent and less dangerous than with humans behind the wheel. Google has been putting its first generation of driverless car systems through a series of tests on city streets around Mountain View. It's the same system that's being used in these fully autonomous models. The system can detect various obstacles and even color codes accordingly. Cyclists are red, pedestrians yellow, vehicles are either green or pink. The system so far can detect cones, construction zones, railroad crossings, and yes, it knows when a bicyclist raises his hand to change lanes and then changes his mind at the last minute. Google wants its cars to drive as if a human were behind the wheel. To slow down going into a turn or to inch up at a four-way stop as a way to indicate it wants to go next. For now, Google's totally autonomous cars are operating just on a closed track, with plans to eventually expand to city driving in Mountain View if and when they become street legal. When that happens, Google's safety systems will likely be tested not just by chance, but on purpose. Insurance fraud is already common among tractor trailers, with scammers getting into accidents so they can sue for damages. If people are willing to throw themselves in front of a speeding semi, imagine what they'll do to a foam cushion car owned and operated by one of the richest companies on Earth. Google knows this is coming, and it's doing its best to play things cool. Every driverless car is gonna be equipped with multiple cameras that will record any accident, meaning there'll be plenty of evidence to show who's really at fault. As Sebastian Thru, the original inventor of Google's driverless cars, told the New York Times, the big losers are gonna be the trial lawyers.
 Google has been showing off its work on driverless cars
 for a few years now, but up until this week,
 those vehicles always used a human driver or two for backup.
 There was a steering wheel, brakes, and gas,
 just in case the computer conked out
 or a person needed to take over in an emergency.
 But all that has changed with the introduction
 of Google's new completely autonomous vehicles.
 The prototype car doesn't have a steering wheel or pedals,
 and passengers are buckled into
 what are essentially back seats.
 These cars aren't street legal yet,
 but while regulators iron out the details
 of when and where they can drive,
 Google is intent on showing that automobiles are far safer
 without any input from us puny humans.
 Rob Medford, Google's director of safety
 on the Driverless Car Project,
 says that more than 90% of automobile accidents
 are caused by human error.
 That adds up to around 33,000 people killed every year,
 the leading cause of death for people
 between the ages of four and 34.
 Google's newest unit is purpose-built for safety.
 The form factor means its cameras and sensors
 have no blind spots and can detect objects for 360 degrees
 and as far as 200 yards away.
 The all-electric vehicle tops out at 25 miles per hour
 and has a front end built of soft foam,
 tweaks Google hopes will cushion any pedestrians
 struck head-on by the car.
 The company acknowledges that an accident is inevitable,
 but says collisions will be far less frequent
 and less dangerous than with humans behind the wheel.
 Google has been putting its first generation
 of driverless car systems through a series of tests
 on city streets around Mountain View.
 It's the same system that's being used
 in these fully autonomous models.
 The system can detect various obstacles
 and even color codes accordingly.
 Cyclists are red, pedestrians yellow,
 vehicles are either green or pink.
 The system so far can detect cones,
 construction zones, railroad crossings,
 and yes, it knows when a bicyclist raises his hand
 to change lanes and then changes his mind
 at the last minute.
 Google wants its cars to drive
 as if a human were behind the wheel.
 To slow down going into a turn
 or to inch up at a four-way stop
 as a way to indicate it wants to go next.
 For now, Google's totally autonomous cars
 are operating just on a closed track,
 with plans to eventually expand
 to city driving in Mountain View
 if and when they become street legal.
 When that happens, Google's safety systems
 will likely be tested not just by chance, but on purpose.
 Insurance fraud is already common among tractor trailers,
 with scammers getting into accidents
 so they can sue for damages.
 If people are willing to throw themselves
 in front of a speeding semi,
 imagine what they'll do to a foam cushion car
 owned and operated by one of the richest companies on Earth.
 Google knows this is coming,
 and it's doing its best to play things cool.
 Every driverless car is gonna be equipped
 with multiple cameras that will record any accident,
 meaning there'll be plenty of evidence
 to show who's really at fault.
 As Sebastian Thru, the original inventor
 of Google's driverless cars, told the New York Times,
 the big losers are gonna be the trial lawyers.