Delphi, Google Report Crashes Involving Their Self-Driving Cars

Delphi Automotive plc and Google Inc., both of which are testing self-driving cars in California, report four of their vehicles have been involved in minor crashes since September, the Associated Press reports.

The companies say their cars were not at fault in any of the no-injury fender-benders. The companies are required to report crashes as a condition for receiving permits to test robotic vehicles on California's public roads. But neither the operator nor the state Dept. of Motor Vehicles is required to reveal details about the accidents.

An AP source says all four incidents occurred at speeds below 10 mph: two when the vehicle was in autonomous mode and two when a human driver was at the controls.

Google revealed separately that its cars have been involved in 11 minor traffic incidents over the past six years. The cars covered about 1.7 million miles of travel, including about 1 million miles in autonomous mode, during that period. Google says its cars have been rear-ended seven times, often when stopped. They also have been side-swiped and in one case struck by another car rolling through a stop sign.

Delphi says its test vehicle received moderate damage when it was broadsided by another car while waiting to make a left turn. The car was not in self-driving mode at the time, according to the company.