Self Driving without Backup?

In Reuters.   Seems premature.    Though I agree that the behavior of such a car needs to be different and well understood.    Could that be best done in simulators?  How far away is this?  A decade, two? Sooner.

California paves way to self-driving car tests without humans  By Paul Lienert
California, the largest U.S. car market, plans to allow testing on public roads of self-driving vehicles without human backup drivers by the end of the year, state officials said Friday.

The state's Department of Motor Vehicles is seeking public comment on proposed regulations for driverless testing and public use of autonomous vehicles that will no longer be required to have conventional manual controls such as steering wheels and pedals.

Current regulations require such vehicles to have those controls, as well as a backup driver   .... "