It seems that the Google car does avoid that. "we’ve been hit from behind seven times, mainly at traffic lights but also on the freeway" If you are stopped at

It seems that the Google car does avoid that. "we’ve been hit from behind seven times, mainly at traffic lights but also on the freeway" If you are stopped at a red light with a car in front of you, sitting there and taking a collision from behind can be the best course of action, depending on the trailing car's speed.