California opens pathway for cars that lack steering wheel

California regulators have changed course and opened a pathway for the public to get self-driving cars of the future that lack a steering wheel or pedals. It's not going to happen immediately--automakers and tech companies are still testing prototypes. But, in a shift, the state's Department of Motor Vehicles said in a revision of draft regulations released late Friday that the most advanced self-driving cars would no longer be required to have a licensed driver if federal officials deem them safe enough. The redrafted regulations will be the subject of a public hearing Oct. 19 in Sacramento. The DMV has been wrestling for several years with how to oversee the emerging technology.