If Californians spot a car with a weird looking gizmo on its roof driving around, they shouldn't be alarmed. That's just Google testing its self-driving vehicle.

Google's self-driving vehicle technology has come a long way since the company cn now test the vehicles on all roads in California following permits issued by the state's Department of Motor Vehicles.

Like Us on Facebook

Google's self-driving technology is vastly ahead of its competition.  So much so that the California DMV only issued 29 total permits, 25 of them going to Google.

The other four were issued to Audi and Mercedes Benz. The permits allow Google to test 25 modified self-driving Lexus vehicles.

According to reports, Google's vehicles have logged well over 700,000 miles without any accident. There was one accident that was reported, however. Ironically, this was caused by the human driver and wasn't an issue involving the self-driving technology.

Over the past couple years of development in Mountain View, California, Google's vehicle has learned to detect and handle thousands of situations within the city, including turns made by cyclists and even intersection cross guards holding stop signs.

Not only can the tech detect thousands of situations, but the cars can also consistently detect hundreds of distinct objects surrounding its position simultaneously. 

In 2012, California passed a law that specified any company or organization that sought to conduct autonomous vehicle testing on its roads first needed to receive a permit to help regulate the technology and make it legitimate.

According to reports, the permits only cost US$150 and US$50 for every additional car. The permits, however, require companies to cover up to US$5 million in insurance costs. 

"Autonomous vehicles are the future of transportation. The potential safety and mobility benefits are enormous," said DMV director Jean Shiomoto. 

Tagsself-drving vehicles, california, autonomous technology, future of transportation, DMV