Autonomous Vehicles to Bypass Safety for Testing?

Note the specific mention of Nuro, which is testing with Kroger and others.  I am imagining how it might work in a suburb like ours.

U.S. Lets Autonomous Vehicle Bypass Safety Rules
Associated Press via CACM
Tom Krisher

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has granted temporary approval to Nuro, a robotics company, to run low-speed autonomous delivery vehicles designed with no accommodations for human drivers. The vehicles lack mirrors, windshield wipers, steering wheels, and brake pedals. The approval marks the first time the federal agency has approved a company's request to deploy self-driving vehicles that do not meet the same safety standards for cars and trucks driven by humans. Under the temporary approval, Nuro must submit real-time safety reports to NHTSA, and will have to hold regular meetings with the agency and keep in contact with the community where the vehicles will travel. NHTSA will use its enforcement powers if it finds any evidence of an unreasonable risk to safety.  ... "