Google takes over the roads: The test car has been sent out with a team of engineers in case of technical problems

Google is driving head first into more controversy today after revealing it has been testing its innovative hands-free car technology on California's roads.

For it wasn't talking about keeping hands off the phone or the GPS - alarmingly, it was testing cars driven with hands off the steering wheel.

Road safety experts were raising questions about the robot-driven cars after Google revealed it has logged over 140,000 miles around the state - almost all of them on auto-pilot.

The specially adapted Toyota Prius automated cars drove from Google's HQ in Mountain View, Northern California, down the famously scenic Pacific Coast Highway to Santa Monica.

Google takes over the roads: A decal for the search engine is pasted on to a camera carrying car (file photo). Now the search giant is testing driverless cars - on California's busy roads

Google takes over the roads: The test car has been sent out with a team of engineers in case of technical problems

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1319255/Now-Google-tests-cars-drive-THEMSELVES--California-traffic.html#ixzz11zj2icJJ