Manning family promotes Google's driverless Uber cars in Texas

Texas Longhorns star quarterback Arch Manning is promoting driverless Uber cars with his father and grandfather.

The 19-year-old appeared in an ad titled "Who's Manning the car," in which the family sat in the back of a Google-powered Waymo car with no driver.

Uber announced on "Good Morning America" its plans to offer a fleet of autonomous cars in Austin, Texas, which is Google's second city of Waymo operations, along with Phoenix.

"Arch, do you Uber to class? Because I noticed you get a lot of parking tickets. You must be driving somewhere," Arch's father, Cooper Manning, asks.

"Tickets are brutal around campus, so I think Uber is the way to go," Arch answers.

Arch is the nephew of Super Bowl winners Peyton and Eli Manning and the grandson of NFL legend Archie Manning, who appeared in the ad as the comic relief, playing the confused old man who is assumed to be adverse to technology.

"I've just been a couple blocks, but it drives a lot better than Arch did last night coming from the airport. That was the worst," Archie says, mocking his grandson.

In typical Manning fashion, the three joke at each other's expense, with Cooper Manning asking his father if he ever had a computer and how old he was when he first got a cell phone. Cooper then forces his son into a big hug and kiss in hopes of embarrassing him when he drops him off.

'Humans make mistakes as well.'

While the playful spot adds humor to the apparent bliss of a driverless taxi, the reality of autonomous vehicles is not quite as rosy. Significant problems have risen out of programs in California, which have caused traffic jams and accidents.

In November that year, General Motors recalled its entire fleet of 950 self-driving Cruise taxis from California's streets after one of its cars dragged a pedestrian who was hit by another car. The autonomous vehicle was attempting to pull over and inadvertently dragged the pedestrian. The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced the immediate suspension of the company's testing permits.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told ABC News' Stephanie Ramos that "humans make mistakes as well," but passengers can "rest assured" that Waymo cars are the "safest ride available to you today."

The CEO also claimed the vehicles are "multiple times safer than a human" driver.

The rides start with a push of a button from passengers on a screen, which was touted as a futuristic experience.

Uber users are given the opportunity to opt out of driverless rides, however.

Waymo plans to expand beyond its current two-city approach, naming Atlanta as its next destination.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!