In late September, the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, signed into law a piece of legislation that will undoubtedly have an impact on the way we drive - or don't drive.
Yes, folks, the driverless car is here.
Google, along with car companies, has been working to perfect the autonomous car for many years, and Brown has now paved the path for them to legally test their cars on California roads. (Note the "legal" language -- Google has been driving its cars on California roads for more than two years, but only now are they considered legal.) "Today, we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality," is how Governor Brown put this remarkable accomplishment. California is the second state -- after Nevada - to allow autonomous car testing. Google expects that autonomous cars will be on the market in less than a decade.
Yet, as we venture into an era of science-fiction-as-reality, we must also wonder: How safe are these cars? And if an accident does occur, who -- or what -- will be liable?