Dolgov's decision follows research that shows that sticking to the speed limit when surrounded by drivers exceeding it can be dangerous and that keeping up with the traffic flow is the safest course of action.
Because driverless cars don't have the human intuition that motorists sometimes are required to call on, the 10mph buffer acts to compensate.
"Thousands and thousands of people are killed in car accidents every year," Dolgov told Reuters, "This could change that."
Google driverless cars exceed speed limit when safety requires it
Posted on Thursday, August 21 2014 @ 12:57 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck