Google driverless cars, which will be allowed on public roads in UK in 2015, are sparking controversy by being designed to exceed speed limits by up to 10mph.
Dmitri Dolgov, the project's lead software engineer, tells Reuters that although the car is designed to drive the speed limit, it's dangerous to be going that speed when the surrounding cars are going much faster. The Google car is designed to sense when the cars around it are speeding and adjust.
Google's automated cars were first announced in 2010, but most of their technology advances were tested in cars designed by other manufacturers.
However, by May 2014, the company announced they were going to manufacture their own cars. The original design was proposed to run on electricity and not exceed 25mph, but Google decided to take a different turn on the newer prototypes that can drive at highway speeds, reports Reuters.
Controversy still stands with the prototype, because it has yet to be decided who will be considered at fault if the machine has a malfunction and gets into an accident.
The controversy still stands, but it's not stopping the UK from allowing the vehicles on the road in January and the US from inquiring about the cars, according to BBC.
Ministers in the UK have ordered a review on the car to make sure it will follow all road regulations, traffic laws and the Highway Code.
Over in the U.S., the White House said they would like all cars and light trucks to be equipped with Google's technology that can help prevent collisions.
