---
title: "Google’s Self-Driving Car Sustains Major Damage in Worst Crash To Date"
description: "One of Google's self-driving cars was hit when a commercial van ran a red light The company is looking to make roads safer by removing human error which accounts for 94% of crashes."
date: "2016-09-27"
modified: "2016-11-29"
authors:
  - name: "Jess Vilvestre"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jessvilvestre"
url: "https://futurism.com/googles-self-driving-car-sustains-major-damage-in-worst-crash-to-date"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Artificial Intelligence"
  - "Google"
  - "Self-Driving Vehicles"
tags:
  - "Autonomous Cars"
  - "driverless cars"
  - "Google"
---

# Google’s Self-Driving Car Sustains Major Damage in Worst Crash To Date

![#driverless cars #autonomous cars #google](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Googles-Self-Driving-Car-Sustains-Major-Injuries-in-Worst-Crash-To-Date.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: RON VAN ZUYLEN/9TO5 GOOGLE\</em\>*

Google's self-driving sports utility vehicle has been taking a beating: it's been involved in three crashes caused by humans in the last month. The most recent was caused when a driver of a van ran a red light and struck the passenger side of the Lexus RX 450 SUV, leaving the doors banged up. The vehicle was operating in autonomous mode when the accident occurred, with a human driver inside, as is required by the company. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the accident.

Google's driverless cars have been involved in a number of accidents throughout nearly [seven years](<https://www.google.com/selfdrivingcar/where/>) of testing, but those numbers dwindle in comparison to the stats showing human-caused road accidents and deaths. Nearly every previous incident with the self-driving cars have been caused by a human driver--its first at-fault incident occurred early this year when [the Lexus hit the side of a bus](<http://www.slashgear.com/googles-self-driving-car-hits-bus-in-first-at-fault-accident-29429588/>). Google continues to mention the point that 94 percent of urban car accidents like this are the result of human error, and that the whole point of its self-driving tech is to make the roads safer. After all, the technology is driven by the ultimate goal of making mass transit safe, accident-free, and accessible to all.

## Author
Chemical Engineering student from Manila and food enthusiast

### Author social links  
[Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/jessvilvestre>)