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Google Self-Driving Cars Involved In Phoenix-Area Crashes

PHOENIX (CBS / AP) -- Google says three of its self-driving vehicles were involved in crashes in the Phoenix metro area in August.

The Arizona Republic reports that the Mountain View-based company says its drivers were manually operating the vehicles during two of the accidents. Google says one of its Lexus SUVs was also rear-ended while operating in the autonomous mode.

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Google began testing its self-driving cars in Chandler in August. The company did not say how many of its 24 Lexus vehicles are operating in Chandler or how the accident rate compares to testing in other cities.

Google officials say they began testing the cars in Arizona to see how they will respond to things like dust storms and golf-cart crossings.

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