A Google self-driving car got pulled over for going too slow

In recent years, Google has taken its self-driving car technology out of the lab and begun testing it out on real roads. And that means that the company’s robotic vehicles are having all the same experiences human drivers do. Including getting pulled over:

This image was taken by Facebook user Zandr Milewski in Mountain View, California, where Google has its headquarters. The car is a new type of vehicle Google designed specifically for its self-driving technology. For safety reasons, Google has limited this model to a top speed of 25 miles per hour. In a Facebook comment, Milewski says the Mountain View police officer pulled the car over to figure out “why they were all going so slow.”

This kind of publicity is priceless for Google, which needs to convince the public that its cars are not only more convenient than conventional cars but safer too. And so far, the PR campaign has gone pretty well. Earlier this year, one Mountain View resident blogged that Google’s autonomous cars “drive like your grandma,” scrupulously following traffic laws and giving other drivers plenty of space.

(Hat tip to Kevin Roose.)

Disclosure: My brother is an executive at Google.