DMV Paves Way For Waymo To Test Driverless Cars

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- Motorists may be doing a few double-takes in neighborhoods, as the California Department of Motor Vehicles is allowing Waymo to test drive its technology on Santa Clara County roads.

The DMV announced Tuesday it issued a permit authorizing the company test driverless vehicles on public roads, interstates, highways and streets within the communities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Sunnyvale and Mountain View, where the company is based.

Waymo, a subsidiary of Google-parent Alphabet, is a self-driving technology company that uses Google Analytics, software and sensor technology to cart around people and objects in vehicles. The journey started at Google in 2009 and became Waymo seven years later, the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce stated.

Waymo is the first company to be granted a permit in California. This will allow the company to test a fleet of about three dozen test vehicles without drivers behind the wheel.

"California has been working toward this milestone for several years, and we will continue to keep the public's safety in mind as this technology evolves," DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said.

Under state law, the DMV is required to adopt regulations covering both the testing and public use of autonomous vehicles on California roadways. Regulations with a safety driver took affect in September 2014. In April, the vehicles could be unmanned.

The permit requires manufacturers to secure a $5 million insurance policy on their vehicles that meet federal safety standards.

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