Federal officials moving toward embracing self-driving cars

Federal transportation officials are rethinking their position on self-driving cars with an eye toward getting the emerging technology into the public’s hands.

Just two years ago, the U.S. Department of Transportation struck a cautious tone. Its official policy statement, published in May 2013, says cars should be limited to testing and not "authorized for use by members of the public for general driving purposes."

With the technology’s rapid development, that federal policy is being updated, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Tuesday.

"I want the posture of our agency to be obviously vigilant on the safety front, but I don’t want our agency to be skittish about innovations that are out there," Foxx said.

By JUSTIN PRITCHARD

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