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WEBVTT ALSO THE PROXIMITY TO OUR STATECAPITAL.VICKI: -- >>rt WHETHER WE LOVE IT,LIKE IT OR DON'T LIKE IT, THISIS COMING.KATHY: THE CITY COULD BE THErtLEADER WHEN IT COMES TO THEFUTURE OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES.THERE IS A UNIQUE REASON WHY WESTAND OUT.>> WE CAN TEST THE TECHNrtOLOGYBUT ALSO THE PUBLIC POLICY PIECEOF IT IS GOING TO BE ESSENTIALFOR THE INDUSTRY TO BOTH GROWBUT TO DO SO THAT'S IN THE BESTINTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY ANDTHE PUBLIC INTEREST. KATHY:rt FOR SEVERAL MONTHS THECITY HAS BEEN A PART OF APUBLIC-PRIVATE INITIATIVE TOATTRACT COMPANIES TO TESTSELF-DRIVING CARS HERE.>> SO I WOULD SAY WITHIN THENEXT YEAR YOU'LL SEE SOME CARS,rtIN AND AROUND SACRAMENTO,WHETHERIT BE DRIVING AROMD MIDTOWN ORTOWARD SAC STATE, OR SOMEWHEREIN AND AROUND THE CITY.KATHY:rt THE CITY'S CHIEFINNOVATION OFFICER SAYS THEGRID-LAYOUT OF OUR ROADS, ANDTHE DENSITY OF DOWNTOWN AREIDEAL FOR TESTING.>> I HONESTLY SAY CAN YOU DO ITSOONER?rtKATHY: THE CALIFORNIA DMV HASALLOWED A.V. TESTING WITH ADRIVER BEHIND THE WHEEL SINCE2014.SO FAR 42, COMPANIES HAVEPERMITS TO DO THrtAT.>> IT SEEMS LIKE AN EXCITINGOPPORTUNITY I'M JUST CONCERNEDABOUT HOW SAFE THAT IS, AND HOWTHEY'RErt GOING TO ENSURE OURSAFETY?EDIE: THE DMV REQUIRES THOSEPERMIT HOLDERS TO REPORT CRASHESWITHIN 10 DAYS, SO FAR THISrtYEAR, OUT OF THE 13 REPORTED, 5WERE IN CONVENTIONAL MODE AT THETIME OF THE CRASH, 8,AUTONOMOUS.AND ALL WERE MINOR TRAFFICACCIDENTS IN SAN FRANCISCO ORrtSANTA CLARA.>> I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTINGCONCEPT AS WE KNOW THERE ARE SOMANYrt ACCIDENTS WITH HUMAN ERROR,BUT HOW SAFE IS THIS GOING TO BEBECAUSE TECHNOLOGY ITSELF CAN

Advertisement Self-driving cars could soon arrive on Sacramento streets Officials hope to bring companies to city, test autonomous vehicles Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The future of driving could be arriving to Sacramento sooner than you think. City officials are currently in talks with companies that want to bring self-driving technology to Sacramento's streets within the next year."Sacramento is perfect for testing autonomous cars because it's shaped in a grid," Sacramento's Chief Innovation Officer Louis Stewart said. "So I would say within the next year, you'll see some cars in and around Sacramento. Whether it be driving around midtown or toward Sac State, or somewhere in and around the city."The California DMV has allowed testing self-driving cars since 2014. A person was required to sit behind the wheel as a precaution during testing. Currently, 42 companies have permits to test autonomous vehicles."I think it's an interesting concept," said Patti Mikolas, a visitor to Sacramento. "As we know, there are so many accidents with human error, but how safe is this going to be? Because technology itself can bleep or bloop at anytime just as well."So far, one of the biggest roadblocks with the technology surrounds the issue of safety."This technology provides the hope that we can create a much safer transportation network," Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said. "What we want to do in Sacramento is both test the technology, but match the technology with our proximity to the state Capitol. And make sure we are helping to develop the regulatory framework to allow this industry to take off."According to the California DMV, so far this year, out of the 13 reported accidents involving an autonomous vehicle, five were in conventional mode and eight were in autonomous mode. All of the reported incidents were minor and occurred in the Bay Area.The DMV plans to release rules for testing and the public use of self-driving cars by the end of the year.