California's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) held a workshop on January 28, Thursday about how it can regulate the rules of the road for self-driving cars to maintain safety yet not stymie the development of  driverless vehicles. Last December the DMV released a draft of new regulations about how Californians can get driverless cars after companies have finished road testing their prototypes.

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The decisions that the Golden State makes will affect the entire country. That is because Silicon Valley and other areas are centers for developing and regulating driverless car technology.

Federal officials announced a new plan earlier this month that would help to get self-driving car technology to consumers faster. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wrote that it would soon be practical for fully automated vehicles to be deployed widely, according to The Denver Post.

Tech giants such as Google and traditional automakers have not announced their vehicles are ready for the road. However, about a dozen companies are developing robotic cars, and many of them have received permission to do road tests of driverless cars in California.

Thursday's DMV workshop was supposed to focus on legal issues. However, it ended up centering on the benefits of driverless cars.

The biggest advocates were for blind people. Many of them explained how self-driving cars could benefit them, and argued the DMV should not prevent the technology's development.

DMV attorney Brian Soublet has revealed the focus should be on the safety of all motor vehicles on the road. However, Google has expressed it is displeased with the DMV's draft of self-driving rules that require a steering wheel to allow a licensed driver to take over control of the car in emergencies.

Chris Urmson heads Google's self-driving car project. He argued that having a human driver will not always make driverless cars safer.

Finally, the DMV's draft would require an independent group to certify that an automaker's self-driving cars are safe. Car manufacturers would receive a permit that is valid for three years, and they could lease the autos to certified consumers, according to NBC Los Angeles.

However, the automakers are supporting self-certification from auto manufacturers. It is the process used for traditional cars.