Acting San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell wants companies that are testing autonomous vehicles in the city to volunteer for safety tests. Farrell says he's concerned about the lack of input SF has when it comes to driverless cars on often congested city streets. He's urging self-driving developers to voluntarily prove their technology is safe with demos and safety assessments with police and first responders. Officers would like to know how to best handle potential crashes or what to do if an autonomous car should stall out.
The City of San Francisco has no jurisdictional control over the so-called robot cars. They're regulated by the Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission. Last month, the DMV approved the testing of self-driving vehicles without backup drivers, but has yet to issue permits for it.
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