Reading both the Google statement (at the end of the argument) and the accident report filed, this sounds like a "bus didn't respect right-of-way" situation, of the sort that oughtn't happen (but which Google needs to figure out how to keep from happening). The big question seems to be, how rationally assertive does an autonomous car get to be in order to use its right-of-way and not be stuck (with passengers) forever waiting for someone to let it move?
Google self-driving car crashes into a bus (update: statement)
It may be the first instance of a Google autonomous car being at fault in an accident.
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wait until it kills a pedestrian. if i ever saw one of those, i'd pop the tires for fun
+Dex Aspen Any particular reason you'd vandalize it? I mean, it's not like they've been rolling around like killdozers, taking out pedestrians right and left.
lol. because i want to see what it would do. Google is safe, i live nowhere near any of it
+Dex Aspen So … vandalism for fun? Huh.
more of a test then vandalism. they seem like they'd be easy pickings for car theifs.
+Dex Aspen Why moreso than a non-autonomous vehicle?
because there's literally no one there to stop them. what kind of gadgets and do-dads are in there? the technology has to be worth a decent chunk of change
+Dex Aspen This isn't like stealing a stereo system. I'm pretty certain there isn't just a widget you can take and plug into your own car. As far as proprietary tech or software, that's sort of Google's lookout, and, honestly, is no different from any other car technology (companies and countries that want the tech can simply buy one).
Besides the inefficiency of stealing a car that has the ability to escape on its own, autonomous cars are probably the most connected object on the road. Not only do they have ultra precise GPS hardware, they can dial home with any issues.
So to steal one, you'd have to disable all the communication equipment before the car can send an S.O.S. and that's assuming doing so doesn't just disable the vehicle altogether.