Here’s What It Looked Like When Google’s Self-Driving Car Hit A City Bus

Image courtesy of Associated Press on YouTube

If you’re the kind of person who likes watching high-speed car crashes and riveting action sequences with lots of big explosions, then watching a video of Google’s self-driving car hitting the side of a municipal bus last month is not for you.

For those looky-loos out there who couldn’t be on the scene when Google’s car ran into a Mountain View city bus while changing lanes in autonomous mode, the Associated Press has posted a video of the incident, including footage from inside the bus.

In one minute and 39 seconds of video that matches the intensity of The English Patient, we see every last dull second of the encounter: first we see the Google car on the right-hand side from the point-of-view of the bus driver, moving out of sight as the bus drives forward. Then there are some shots of people inside the bus doing what people inside buses do, which is, sit, and probably think about what they’re going to eat for dinner that night.

Next, a truly thrilling moment as we see — again, from inside the bus — the car sort of next to the bus, which cuts to the bus driver looking out the side of the vehicle like, “What the heck just happened?”

Perhaps most riveting of all is the moment when we can actually hear people grumbling as they shuffle off the bus. Make sure you’ve got your volume turned up!

Photos of the scene afterwards are probably more exciting than the moving images: the Google car with its front left side smushed in, and a piece of the Google car stuck in the bus’ door. Michael Bay movie it isn’t, but stuff is broken.

Don’t take my word for it. Grab a comfy seat, get the wine chilled, and watch the action unfold for yourself.

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