Google has revealed that it is testing technology that would allow vehicles to drive themselves using advanced artificial intelligence that mimics the decisions drivers make on a daily basis.

The company is currently testing the new technology around California, using modified Toyota Priuses and one Audi TT. High-powered cameras, similar to those that Google uses for its "Street View" service, are mounted on top of the vehicle in order to detect the situation around the driver. That information is then fed to the vehicle, so that the car can stop, steer and navigate all on its own. According to the company, the technology already makes better decisions than human drivers.

Google says the technology is still years away, but hopes that one day the system will be reliable enough to save lives and cut down on the 1.2 million killed every year on the roads.

"We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half," project lead engineer Sebastian Thrun wrote on the official Google Blog.

The current vehicles use GPS technology to map a route in advance, but can adapt to situations based on sensors detecting the vehicles and obstacles around it. In limited testing, the team uses a driver who has full control of the vehicle and can take over at any time in case of an emergency. Thus far, the group has only had one accident – when they were rear-ended at a stoplight.

Drivers interested in a Prius or any other vehicle may want to search on the used car market in order to get a better deal.