by The Associated Press

The Latest on a hearing on driverless cars in California (all times local):

11:25 a.m.

Advocates for the blind are asking California's Department of Motor Vehicles to allow them access to self-driving cars sooner rather than later.

The DMV is wrestling with how to bring the technology to the public safely.

At a Thursday workshop in Sacramento, several people said the technology could change the lives of those who cannot now drive.

Jessie Lorenz is blind. She told DMV regulators that she now has to take public transit to get her 4-year-old daughter to school. She'd like to take her in a self-driving car.

The DMV is seeking public input on draft regulations the agency released last month. Those regulations will govern the cars' eventual rollout to residents, once they get past prototype testing.

So far, the agency has taken a cautious approach.