If you're living in Austin, Texas, do not be surprised to see a car without a driver plying the roads.
Google, the Internet giant, has revealed that it has deployed one of the self-driving Lexus SUVs it is currently developing for a test drive in north and northeast of downtown Austin.
"It's summertime, so millions of Americans are packing up the car and hitting the road—and so are we! We've chosen Austin, Texas, as a new testing location for our project," Google said on the "Google Self-Driving Car Project" page.
"We've chosen Austin, Texas, as a new testing location for our project, and one of our Lexus SUVs is there now," the company added.
Although Google is testing the self-driving car, safety drivers are still aboard the vehicles ready to take control to ensure road safety.
Before putting the self-driving cars on a road test, Google also sought the permission of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Transportation, police and other authorities.
Google further said that it launched the test drive "to get experience testing our software in different driving environments, traffic patterns and road conditions."
Although neither the public nor the press was alerted on the test drives for its autonomous car, Google encouraged people from Austin to give feedback on how the vehicles are performing.
"We're ready to take on Austin's pedicabs, pickup trucks, and everything in between. Keep it weird for us, Austin, and visit our website to let us know how we're driving," the company added.
Some experts have questioned the safety of the self-driving cars Google is developing, even claiming that 11 accidents have already occurred since the firm started testing these revolutionary vehicles.
Google, however, recently said that these incidents were only minor and not the fault of the autonomous cars.
