California plans to allow human-less self-driving car tests

If you'll recall, Google had to fit its prototype cars with temporary steering wheels and controls just so it could launch its trial in the Golden State. The proposed rules will give Mountain View a way to find out how its vehicles will perform when they're used the way they're intended. Eric Noble, president of automotive consulting firm The CarLab, told Bloomberg that the changes are "necessary and timely" if California wants to "keep that level of development activity." They could prevent Michigan, which made autonomous vehicle trials without human drivers and physical controls legal in December, from becoming the new go-to state. "[California] kind of had to do it because at some point manufacturers can't move autonomous vehicles forward without getting controls out of cars," Noble added.