For the first time in a ten year race, self-driving cars are now offering rides.

Google has been developing their self-driving cars for almost a decade. Their launch in Phoenix, Arizona in April is unlike any car before. The Chrysler Pacifica mini-vans have already had roughly 3 million miles on the road combined. They’re able to drive thousands of miles without needing human intervention.

The cars scan areas for size and speed of surrounding objects and classify them as cyclists, cars, pedestrians, or other objects based on their behaviors. A main computer, typically located under the trunk, interprets the data collected and compares it with previously collect data and maps. With close to 30 manufacturers in California alone, changes and additions are being made to the automated cars daily.

However, while advancements are being made in the race for autonomous cars, there are also some setbacks. Just ten miles from Phoenix in Tempe, Arizona, a self-driving car crashed in March. The crash raised many questions about the safety and insurance requirements for self-driving cars.

Car insurance is based on driving history as well as age and other factors. Some insurance companies even have apps that track speeding and other driving behaviors that aid in determining price ratings. However, the issue with autonomous cars comes from who pays. Autonomous cars would shift insurance from the drivers to the manufacturers themselves according to NPR.

Self driving cars should produce less accidents than human drivers in the long run, but there is no data to support that idea yet. Since few autonomous cars will be on the roads in the upcoming years, insurance cases will be handled case by case according to NPR.

However, this doesn’t seem to be stopping the race. In March,  California, a state who previously had extremely strict car rules, began to allow more self-driving car companies to test their cars on the road. The new rules now allow roughly 30 car manufacturers to test a few of their cars. Apple being the 30th.

Autonomous car innovators were previously frustrated with California’s regulations, claiming they were too harsh and were holding back their innovations. Experts are certain that self-driving cars will be safer than human drivers in the future. The issue is that at the moment, self-driving cars aren’t flawless. In reality, they currently make about as many mistakes as human drivers, CNN claims.

Keeping that in mind, the California DMV previously debated having a third party company inspect autonomous cars. In March, however, they decided car manufacturers could decide for themselves. This keeps liability risks with the companies themselves.

As an extra measure, the DMV will be providing licenses for the cars similar to a human license, minus the driving test. All car manufacturers will have to do is provide a safety letter to the state confirming the safety tests have been passed. The DMV can revoke the license as it can a human license as well.

The lack of data to support or reject the safety of self-driving cars can make it a tricky subject to work around. But, the innovations being made in the transportation industry are fundamentally changing the course of vehicular development for future generations.