Self-Driving Google Car Hits Bus

One of Google Inc.’s test cars ran into a municipal bus while operating in autonomous driving mode earlier this month. Google says it’s the first time one of its self-driving cars was at least partly responsible for a crash.

The specially outfitted Google car, which is based on a Lexus RX450h hybrid crossover vehicle, steered around sandbags as the road widen into a turn lane. It struck the bus, which had been following the Google car, while traveling at about 2 mph as it moved back toward the center of the lane. 

The impact damaging the car's left front fender and wheel along with an unspecified sensor. No injuries were reported.

Google says the vehicle’s software miscalculated that the bus driver would allow the Lexus back into the lane. The test engineer behind the wheel told police he assumed the same thing.

The accident took place near Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., on Feb. 14, according to the company’s monthly report on its autonomous vehicle program.

It's not the first time a Google car or other self-driving vehicle has been in an accident; there have been several dozen in recent years. But in the previous collisions, a human-operated vehicle ran into the autonomous one.