California lawmaker pushes for driver-free robot car testing on public roads

Mike Gatto, who has received thousands of dollars in donations from Google and Ford, proposed one of two bills that would relax state rules for automated cars

A new bill in California's legislature that aims to smooth the path for fully driverless vehicles on the state's public roads is being proposed by an assembly member who has received thousands of dollars from Google.

It is one of two bills currently under discussion that would relax the rules on testing self-driving cars in the US's largest state and the test bed for automated driving.