The US state of Nevada has become the first to approve the use of driverless cars, like the sort being tested by Google at the moment.
The state has passed new legislation which requires the Nevada Department of Transportation to prepare for the presence of driverless cars on its roads with rules governing safety standards, insurance requirements and testing sites, according to the International Business Times.
Search engine giant, Google, which recently announced it was expanding its fleet of electric cars (see story), has been developing and testing driverless car since 2000 and its fleet of prototypes has already clocked over 140,000 miles.
According to press reports, Google has been quietly lobbying for the new law to make it easier for the company to continue its development plans. The firm is not alone however in developing cars that use sensors and GPS to self-drive, Volkswagen and Volvo are among the car makers known to be working to develop similar systems.
Driverless cars would help reduce accidents, reduce fuel consumption and congestion by eliminating driver error.
