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An update of federal guidelines on autonomous technology that would encompass trucks, transit systems, infrastructure, cars and other modes of transportation will emphasize safety, the country’s top transportation officer said Aug. 8.

Although Uber Technologies Inc. recently halted its self-driving truck program, the ride-hailing pioneer is doubling down on its Uber Freight load-matching business and announced that Otto co-founder and former Uber executive Lior Ron will rejoin the company to run that unit.

Elon Musk said he’s considering taking Tesla Inc. private in a radical step that would ease pressure on the money-losing automaker.

The Uber Technologies Inc. self-driving test vehicle that killed a pedestrian in Arizona earlier this year may have been able to avoid the crash had the ride-hailing company not disabled Volvo Cars’ safety system, according to a safety group.

Self-driving vehicles typically are described as a disruptive technology that will make traditional modes of public transportation obsolete, but a recent announcement by Chandler-based Waymo is challenging that narrative.

Highly computerized cars or trucks could mean consumers’ data is vulnerable or the driver safety might be endangered if car companies aren’t prepared to cut off at the pass any data breach or threat to cybersecurity.

Sacramento has signed a deal with a Silicon Valley firm to use downtown streets as a testing ground for self-driving vehicles that will be monitored by remote “drivers” sitting at computers.