Google Self-Driving Car Pulled Over for Being Too Slow
car&bike Team
1 min read
Nov 16, 2015, 06:05 PM
A Google self-driving car has been pulled over by a traffic cop in Mountain View, California for an offence we generally don't come across too many times - driving too slowly. It was going 18Km/h under the speed limit.
No action was taken by the cop but the California Department of Motor Vehicles filed a report describing the Google automated car as "over-cautious". The Google Autonomous Vehicle (Google AV) was travelling at 24mph (39Km/h) in a 35mph (56Km/h) zone.
In a post, Google joked: "Bet humans don't get pulled over for that too often."
The net giant also added: "We've capped the speed of our prototype vehicles at 40Km/h (25mph) for safety reasons. We want them to feel friendly and approachable, rather than zooming scarily through neighbourhood streets. We're proud to say we've never been ticketed." Google claims that the company has conducted 1.2 million miles of autonomous driving tests.
Read | Google's Self-Driving Taxi Service to Rival Uber
The Mountain View police department, in a blogpost about the incident, said an officer "noticed traffic backing up behind a slow-moving car in the eastbound lane".
"The officer stopped the car and made contact with the operators to learn more about how it was choosing speeds along certain roadways and to educate the operators about impeding traffic," it added.
Google's fleet of self-driving cars are programmed to follow all traffic rules and regulations to the letter. However, this becomes a problem when they share the same road with human drivers who are erratic and generally don't follow all the rules.
In September, Google said it was working to make its autonomous cars drive "more humanistically".
Earlier, a Google self-driving car met with an accident when it unnecessarily braked at a pedestrian crossing and another vehicle went into the back of it.
No action was taken by the cop but the California Department of Motor Vehicles filed a report describing the Google automated car as "over-cautious". The Google Autonomous Vehicle (Google AV) was travelling at 24mph (39Km/h) in a 35mph (56Km/h) zone.
In a post, Google joked: "Bet humans don't get pulled over for that too often."
The net giant also added: "We've capped the speed of our prototype vehicles at 40Km/h (25mph) for safety reasons. We want them to feel friendly and approachable, rather than zooming scarily through neighbourhood streets. We're proud to say we've never been ticketed." Google claims that the company has conducted 1.2 million miles of autonomous driving tests.
Read | Google's Self-Driving Taxi Service to Rival Uber
The Mountain View police department, in a blogpost about the incident, said an officer "noticed traffic backing up behind a slow-moving car in the eastbound lane".
"The officer stopped the car and made contact with the operators to learn more about how it was choosing speeds along certain roadways and to educate the operators about impeding traffic," it added.
Google's fleet of self-driving cars are programmed to follow all traffic rules and regulations to the letter. However, this becomes a problem when they share the same road with human drivers who are erratic and generally don't follow all the rules.
In September, Google said it was working to make its autonomous cars drive "more humanistically".
Earlier, a Google self-driving car met with an accident when it unnecessarily braked at a pedestrian crossing and another vehicle went into the back of it.
Latest News
Jaiveer Mehra | Jun 26, 2026New Hyundai Elantra Makes Global Debut: Boxy Styling, Hybrid Powertrain & Pleos InfotainmentNew generation of the Elantra – sold as the Avante in South Korea – adopts Hyundai’s Art of Steel design language.1 min read
car&bike Team | Jun 26, 2026TVS NTorq 125 Launched With New Colours From Rs. 82,500TVS Motor Company has introduced three new colours for the NTorq 125 Race Edition and two colour options for the disc variant of the scooter.1 min read
Jaiveer Mehra | Jun 26, 2026New BMW X6 Launched In India At Rs 1.78 CroreThe X6 is offered solely in the hot M60i spec and goes up against the Audi SQ8 and the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe1 min read
car&bike Team | Jun 25, 2026TVS iQube Electric Scooter Crosses 10 Lakh Units Production MilestoneIntroduced in 2020, the iQube is TVS' first high-speed, long-range electric scooter, which has soared to the top of sales charts in recent years.1 min read
car&bike Team | Jun 24, 2026Kawasaki KLX230 Gets Dearer For MY2027; Price Increased By Rs 35,000The MY2027 Kawasaki KLX230 arrives with a significant price hike, but no mechanical or cosmetic changes over the outgoing model.1 min read
Seshan Vijayraghvan | Jun 24, 2026Renault Kiger Variants Updated; New Evolution+ Trim Brings Auto AC, Wireless Smartphone Connectivity For Rs. 6.99 LakhIn addition to the new Evolution+ trim, Renault has also made the turbo petrol engine more accessible with the launch of Techno MT Turbo at Rs. 7.89 lakh.1 min read
Janak Sorap | Jun 25, 2026350cc Bajaj Dominar 400 Review: Same Character, Lower PriceA slightly lower displacement engine, a significantly lower price tag and nearly the same performance — the Bajaj Dominar 400 aims to be smarter rather than faster.6 mins read
Preetam Bora | Jun 25, 20262026 Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z First Ride Review: Smaller Engine, But Should You Buy It?The Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z won our Two-Wheeler Upgrade of the Year. Then new tax slabs happened. Smaller engine, same badge – but does it still deliver?6 mins read
Preetam Bora | Jun 25, 2026Triumph Tracker 400 First Ride Review: What's It Really Like?The Triumph Tracker 400 is here, now with a downsized 349 cc engine. We spent a couple of hours with it to share our first impressions. Is it worth your attention?1 min read
Preetam Bora | Jun 15, 20262026 Yezdi Scrambler Review: The Update That Changes EverythingThe Yezdi Scrambler gets a comprehensive update with an updated engine, revised chassis, reduced weight and proper features list. Does it deliver? Here’s our take.10 mins read
Preetam Bora | Jun 10, 20262026 BMW F 450 GS Review: A True GS - But Should You Buy It?The GS badge on a BMW means something and always has. Can the new made-in-India BMW F 450 GS truly live up to that legacy? We spent a few days getting familiar with the F 450 GS to see if it’s worth a buy.12 mins read