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
car&bike Team | Apr 9, 20262026 Volkswagen Taigun Launch LIVE Updates: Specifications, Images, DetailsThe VW Taigun facelift will make its India debut today. The carmaker will roll out its specifications and other details. Watch this space to know all about it.0 mins read
car&bike Team | Apr 8, 2026Record Sales For BMW India In Q1 2026, SUVs And Long Wheelbase Models DominateThe company sold 4,567 cars in first quarter of 2026, which was 17% more than the same period in 20251 min read
Bilal Firfiray | Apr 8, 2026Volkswagen Taigun Facelift To Be Launched In India Tomorrow; What To ExpectHere’s everything to expect from the new and updated Taigun ahead of its launch.1 min read
Bilal Firfiray | Apr 8, 2026VinFast MPV 7 vs Rivals: Clavis EV, eMax 7 and XEV 9SVinFast will be stepping into India’s three-row EV space with the VinFast VF MPV 7, taking on the Kia Carens Clavis EV, Mahindra XEV 9S, and BYD eMax 7. Here’s how they fare on paper.2 mins read
Jafar Rizvi | Apr 7, 2026KTM 390 Duke Price Hiked By Over Rs 40,000; Now Costs Rs 3.39 LakhThe hike follows the revised GST structure for motorcycles above 350 cc, imposed in September 2025.2 mins read
car&bike Team | Apr 7, 2026Yezdi Scrambler India Launch On April 23Classic Legends will launch the new Yezdi Scrambler in India on April 23, 2026.2 mins read
car&bike Team | Apr 7, 2026Flying Flea C6 Review: Royal Enfield’s Electric Gamble?The C6 is the beginning of Royal Enfield's EV journey under the Flying Flea brand. Does it make a strong impression? Read on.7 mins read
Janak Sorap | Mar 31, 20262026 Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex – First Ride Review: The Update That Changes EverythingAfter riding the updated 2026 Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 for a round trip of over 140 km from Guwahati to Shillong, the new Apex variant feels like the version of the Guerrilla 450 that should have existed from day one.6 mins read
Amaan Ahmed | Apr 6, 2026Yamaha EC-06 First Ride Review: Building Is Hard, Repackaging Is ECTo develop a capable maiden electric two-wheeler for India, Yamaha Motor didn't have to dig deep -- it just needed to strike up a clever partnership with a promising Indian startup.8 mins read
Janak Sorap | Mar 25, 2026Ducati Desmo450 MX Review: In PicturesDucati’s first-ever motocross motorcycle, the Ducati Desmo450 MX, promises extreme performance and race-focused engineering, and we recently experienced it at BigRock Dirt Park to find out what it’s really like to ride.1 min read
Bilal Firfiray | Mar 24, 2026Nissan Gravite Review: Sub-Rs 10 Lakh Seven-Seater That’s PracticalNissan has introduced the Gravite as a practical seven-seater that’s affordable, that’s easy to live with, and value for money. But should you buy it?1 min read