A new document released indicates that Google’s driverless cars are being equipped to automatically detect police vehicles in any area.
Google intends to achieve this by installing a technology that can identify police cars while they are approaching. The self-driving car will then send an alert and move out of the way, or pull over for questioning.
The internet giant, Google in a patent filing, has visualized a system where it driverless cars will be able to tell emergency services by the flashing of their light. This they will do by identifying red and blue flashing light through its sensors, which they will take as police vehicles.
The car will measure the distance between them to be able to tell if it needs to respond. The self—driving car will position itself to answer to the police vehicle by pulling over.
Police vehicles are not the only vehicle the Google cars can identify. They will be wired to also detect an ambulance and other types of emergency vehicles by the flashing of lights of these emergency vehicles.
Police have the right to ask a car to pull over for whatever reason. As contained in UK law, a driver is expected to pull over at a safe place when signaled to park by police.
Car drivers are within the law also expected to give way to police vehicles when they are involved in a high-speed operation.
According to Rule 219 of the Highway Code, car drivers are to “look and listen” for Police or emergency vehicles and do the needful without all traffic signs. The new technology by Google cars may avoid falling victim of countless cases of drivers driving through a red light or for some other issues like pulling into the bus lane in a bid to make way for emergency vehicles.
It is the conviction of driverless car supporters that such cars will put an end to traffic accidents, and also cut congestion and free up countless wasted time spent on commuting.
From the onset, Google has championed the quest for developing autonomous vehicles. Its self-driven cars have since 2012 covered more than one million miles on public roads. Google is believed to be in talks with the government to launch their self-driven cars in the country.
According to The Telegraph, in a document obtained last year, Google rated the UK as the giant in making laws for self-driven vehicles.
Millions of cash have been invested by the Government in a bid to encourage researches in self-driven cars. It has also promised to change the law so that these new cars can be established in the UK.
There are examinations being carried out by Bristol and Greenwich to find out the challenges that will be experienced when fully automated vehicles are allowed to use UK roads. For the Lutz podcars, Coventry and Milton Keynes will take tests on the. From the beginning of next year, Volvo in its “most ambitious” trial ever will test self-driven cars in London.
Currently growing by 16 percent a year, driverless technology industry will by 2025 be worth £900 globally.
