LAS VEGAS, May 14 (UPI) -- U.S. technology giant Google confirmed it was targeting Nevada as the first state to lobby for the legalization of driverless cars.
That's right: Look, Ma, no hands -- or eyes, either. Google is petitioning the state to allow for testing cars controlled by computers and simultaneously lobbying to allow for an exemption on a ban on sending and receiving text messages while driving.
Company spokesman Jay Nancarrow said the project, which has already included Google cars logging 140,000 miles without drivers in California, is in the early stages of development.
But Google lobbyist David Goldwater testified this year in front of Nevada's state Assembly that cars without drivers could improve fuel efficiency, cut down on accidents and promote job growth.
In California, the testing has been done legally with two people in the car -- a passenger monitoring the computer equipment that can fill the trunk of a car and a "driver" ready to take control if something goes wrong.
Google did not say why it chose Nevada to be the first state to allow for driverless vehicles, but policy analysts said they envision driverless deliveries and driverless taxi services.
"In some respects, this is a a great template and a great model. It recognizes a need to create a process to test these vehicles and set aside and area of Nevada where testing can take place," said Ryan Calo, a scholar at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School.
