Each year, it is estimated that at least 23 percent of all car accidents are caused by or related to driver distraction. In 2012, 3,328 people were killed and 421,000 were injured in distraction-related crashes.

Increased efforts to decrease driver distraction by stopping texting-while-driving have spurred increased spending and innovation in the automotive sector. Google has taken a novel approach and created a fully autonomous, self-driving car. The self-driving car addresses many concerns regarding driver distraction and would give drivers relief from navigation chores. All passengers could read, play a video game, or just look out the window and enjoy a ride around town.

Google’s current prototype of the self-driving car combines street mapping images, sensors, software, and laser imaging to navigate streets and avoid random obstacles such as bicyclists. It lacks many of the typical features found in a normal automobile. There is no brake or acceleration pedal and no steering wheel. Even the mirrors and glove compartment have been removed, supporting the aura of a truly self-driving car—operated without any physical human intervention.

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