Self-driving car gets a license

Department of Motor Vehicles officials said Monday they've issued Google the nation's first license to test self-driving cars on public streets, after conducting demonstrations on the Las Vegas Strip and in Carson City that show the car is as safe -- or perhaps safer -- than a human.

"It gets honked at more often because it's being safe," said Nevada DMV Director Bruce Breslow.

Self-driving vehicle technology works like auto-pilot to guide a car -- in this case a modified Prius -- with little or no intervention from a human operator. Laser radar mounted on the roof and in the grill detects pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles, creating a virtual buffer zone around the obstacles that the car then avoids.

While some envision the robotic car dropping off its operator at the front of the mall and hunting for a parking spot on its own, Breslow said not so fast.