Federal vehicle safety regulators have cleared the way for the production and deployment of truly driverless vehicles that do not include manual controls such steering wheels or pedals.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Thursday issued final rules eliminating the need for highly automated and self-driving vehicles to need such controls.
The new rule emphasizes such cars must continue to provide the same high levels of occupant protection as current passenger vehicles. Companies still must meet other safety standards as well as federal, state and local regulations to actually launch and operate driverless vehicles on U.S. roadways.