Are Self-Driving Cars Safe? Uber Forced To Take Cars Off San Francisco Streets

Uber has been forced to back down in its dispute with Californian authorities, taking its self-driving cars off the streets of San Francisco Wednesday. The move followed the state's Department of Motor Vehicles revoking their registration as well as reports of the cars running red lights. A standoff occurred after Uber had declined to follow the example of competitors such as Google and Tesla, which obtained state-issued permits for their self-driving cars. Because it employed a driver to sit in each of its fleet of 16 self-driving cars ready to take the wheel, Uber insisted that a permit wasn't necessary. But a week after the ride-hailing giant formally launched its cars on the San Francisco streets, the DMV cracked down.