Truly driverless cars could soon be allowed on California's roads

The California DMV is almost ready to allow autonomous vehicles on the state's public roads without a human test driver behind the wheel. 

The state's regulators released a set of proposed revisions to its policies that, once passed, will also grant the public permission to use self-driving cars. The new rules are now subject to a 15-day public comment period, which closes on Oct. 25.  

The DMV's proposals are meant to conform to new federal regulations for driverless cars, which cleared through a Senate panel earlier this month, and await a vote after passing in the House in September. 

We might not see the human-free systems in action immediately if the rules go into effect in 2018 — most companies have only shown off autonomous platforms that are capable of "Level 3" autonomy, which means there is some need for human operation — but the road ahead is clear for more advanced tech.  Read more...