California is the latest state to allow testing of Google 's self-driving cars on the roads , though only with a human passenger along as a safety measure . Gov . Edmund `` Jerry '' Brown signed the autonomous-vehicles bill into law Tuesday afternoon alongside Google co-founder Sergey Brin and State Sen. Alex Padilla , who authored the bill , at Google 's headquarters in Mountain View , California . The bill , SB 1298 , will set up procedures and requirements for determining when the cars are road-ready . Brin hopes that self-driving cars will be able to drive on public streets in five years or less . You wo n't need a driver 's license by 2040 . `` Anybody who first gets in the car and finds the car is driving will be a little skittish . But they 'll get over it , '' said Brown when asked if the California Highway Patrol was on board with the plan . The cars use a combination of technologies , including radar sensors on the front , video cameras aimed at the surrounding area , various other sensors and artificial-intelligence software that helps steer . Google is the most visible company working on these types of vehicles , but similar projects are under way at other organizations , including Caltech . Google has already been testing the cars on the road in Nevada , which passed a law last year authorizing driverless vehicles . Both Nevada and California require the cars to have a human behind the wheel who can take control of the vehicle at any time . So far , the cars have have racked up more than 300,000 driving miles , and 50,000 of those miles were without any intervention from the human drivers , Google says . Overheard on CNN.com : Autonomous cars reduce 'crashes ' ? There have been no accidents while the cars were controlled by the computer . The only documented accident with one of the Google vehicles was a fender bender that took place while a human was in control . Brin , who sported a pair of Google glasses at the media event without comment , said the cars could address a variety of current transportation issues . First and foremost , he said , the self-driving cars would be safer than human-driven cars . There were just under 33,000 deaths from motor vehicle accidents in the United States in 2010 . They also could ferry around people who are usually unable to to drive , such as blind people . `` Some people have other disabilities , some people are too young , some people are too old , sometimes we 're too intoxicated , '' said Brin . Ideally , a car that drives itself can minimize traffic by chaining together with other self-driving vehicles and using highways more efficiently . Drivers would n't be limited to listening to NPR and honking during their morning commute ; instead they could use that time to be productive , like the millions of people who take public transit currently do . Atlanta turns to variable speed limits to ease traffic . Brin also discussed the many parking lots in urban and suburban areas , calling them `` a scar to the surface of the Earth . '' Self-driving cars would be able to drop you off at work and then pick up another person instead of idling in a parking lot . If you did opt to own your own car , it could park itself in the most efficient way possible . Consumer Watchdog , a consumer-rights group , has expressed reservations about the cars on privacy grounds , saying they would allow Google to gather personal information about passengers . Google 's fleet of vehicles started with Toyota Prius Hybrids and later added the Lexus RX450h , a crossover SUV , to test on different terrain . The project is directed by Sebastian Thrun , who also co-founded Google Street View . There are many legal and technical problems still to be worked out before the cars are commonplace . Asked who would get the ticket when a driverless car runs a red light , Brin replied , `` Self-driving cars do not run red lights . '' You can drive 85 - in Texas .
Gov . Brin signs a bill that will regulate self-driving cars in Nevada . Google co-founder Brin hopes to have self-driving cars on public roads within 2040 . Sergey Brin says self-driving cars address safety , traffic and lifestyle issues .