"Look, Ma! No hands!" Blind man takes a spin in Google's self-driving car as Google prepares public for eventual release

Steve Mahan, who is 95% blind, takes Google's self-driving car, a Prius, out for a spin- including a trip through a fast food drive-through and to pick up his laundry at the dry cleaners.  This visually illustrates how self-driving could give him the freedom to navigate his life with the same convenience as a sighted person takes for granted. His drive was one of one of many that have totaled over 200,000 test miles logged by Google's self-driving cars on California roads. There have been no accidents during the driver-less operation of the cars, however there has been, ironically, one fender-bender on Google's private lot while under the the car was under the control of a human driver.    

Not coincidentally, this is video release was timed as part of an increasing media campaign, that included California State Senator Alex Pedilla appropriately arriving in the state capital in a driver-less car for a press conference on the subject. This media campaign is meant to pave the road for consumer acceptance of the technology in advance of California's impending draft of legislation- based on similar legislation that has already been passed in Nevada, that would create safety road rules for self-driving cars and allow them to be legalized.

"...the way this would change my life is to give me the independence and the flexibility to go the places I would want to go and need to go when I need to do those things."