Google computers qualify as drivers in automated cars, US government says

Alphabet convinces federal transportation safety board that the software in its self-driving cars is considered the driver, not the human inside

Google has managed to persuade the US government that the tech company's computers - rather than humans - should be defined as the "drivers" of a growing fleet of autonomous vehicles.

In a significant precedent for Google and other companies developing autonomous car technology, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has ruled that the software behind some automated cars should be considered the driver.