Obama administration clears roadblocks to autonomous vehicles in new advisory

Self-driving cars have the potential to save thousands of lives lost on the nation's roads each year and to change the lives of the elderly and the disabled, President Barack Obama said in an op-ed published Monday by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. WASHINGTON -- Obama administration officials are previewing long-awaited guidance that attempts to bring self-driving cars to the nation's roadways safely -- without creating so many roadblocks that the technology can't make it to market quickly. Traditional automakers and tech companies have been testing self-driving prototypes on public roads for several years, with a human in the driver's seat just in case. The results suggest that what once seemed like a technology perpetually over the horizon appears to be fast approaching, especially with car companies announcing a string of investments and acquisitions in recent months. Federal officials have been struggling with how to capitalize on the technology's promised safety benefits -- the cars can react faster than people, but don't drink or get distracted -- while making sure they are ready for widespread use.