California governor Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed a bill clearing the way for self-driving cars to jockey with human-operated vehicles to test the technology on the state’s roads. “Autonomous vehicles are another example of how California’s technological leadership is turning today’s science fiction into tomorrow's reality,” Brown said during a signing ceremony at the Google campus in Mountain View.

The legislation lets driverless cars be operated on public roads for testing purposes as long as licensed drivers are behind the wheels to take over if needed.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin heads a stealth team working on visionary innovations such as self-driving cars and eye glasses. “It obviously seems the stuff of science fiction,” said Brin. “It is a fascinating area to work on but it really has the power to change people's lives, which is why I am really excited about it.”