Beep beep! Google to road test self-driving cars in Phoenix area

PHOENIX — As you zip down the street on your daily commute, there is a chance the car next to you may be driving itself.

Google announced Thursday that it has selected the Phoenix area as a test market for its self-driving cars.

“Metro Phoenix is an ideal place to expand testing,” Jennifer Haroon, head of business operations for the Google Self-Driving Car project, said in a press release. “The Phoenix area has distinct desert conditions, which will help us better understand how our sensors and cars handle extreme temperatures and dust in the air.”

Google said the testing has already begun. It has four Lexus SUVs — driven by a human — that have been mapping the Chandler area for the past few days.

Once the mapping is complete, the self-driving cars will be ready to hit the streets.

The Internet giant plans to map and drive more of the Phoenix area over time.

“Google’s selection of Arizona for this testing program is just another sign that Arizona is on the cutting-edge when it comes to innovation,” Gov. Doug Ducey said in the same release.

Drivers can give Google feedback on how the cars behaved on the roads via a website.

Phoenix is Google’s fourth test city. Its self-driving cars first hit the road in Mountain View, Calif. and later in Austin, Texas and Kirkland, Wash.

The tests have been relatively safe. Google said its cars have driven 1.5 million miles, and only a few have been involved in a collision — one was in a recent fender-bender and another in an injury accident last year.

Google is not the only company to test self-driving cars in Arizona. Ford began doing so at its facility in Wittman last month.

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