“Google has created what it calls a “Matrix-style,” virtual version of California’s road system that it’s been using to test self-driving cars before sending them out onto the actual road, according to the Guardian. Google is apparently so thrilled with its simulation that it asked California’s government earlier this year, in a letter obtained by the Guardian, whether it could use these virtual simulations in place of actual driving tests when certifying a vehicle for public road tests — and it seems that it may be able to.”

Source: www.theverge.com

Referenced Guardian article:

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/21/google-test-self-driving-cars-virtual-world-matrix