California rules self-driving cars must have driver behind wheel

LOS ANGELES -- California unveiled precedent-setting draft rules Wednesday that would slow the public's access to self-driving cars of the future until regulators are confident the technology is safe.

That cautious approach requires the cars have a steering wheel, and a licensed driver must be ready to take over if the machine fails.

The draft sets out the framework for how the state's Department of Motor Vehicles wants to move from the small-scale testing of prototypes on roads and highways to giving consumers access to the fast-evolving technology. The DMV can change the rules over the coming months before they are finalized, and the industry is likely to contest them as overly burdensome.

Though no manufacturer has said it thinks the cars are ready yet, at least a dozen are developing the technology, and the most aggressive suggest a model could be ready within a few years. Silicon Valley giant Google has pushed hardest, building a prototype without a wheel or pedals but rigging the hardware back into the cars pending the long-anticipated regulations.

California is the largest auto market in the U.S., and its rules will be a landmark in the development of self-driving technology. States including Texas, Nevada and Michigan have courted testing on their roads but not weighed in on consumer use of the cars in detail as California did Wednesday.

Under the draft rules, even if Google thinks its car is ready for sale, that wouldn't be possible immediately.

Initially, manufacturers would receive a permit for three years, during which time consumers could lease the cars, but manufacturers would be required to keep tabs on how safely they are driving and report that performance to the state.