Engineers and safety advocates are telling the government that self-driving cars are more likely to be a threat than a boon to public safety because of unresolved technical issues.

Even a trade association for automakers cautioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at a public meeting Friday that a more deliberative approach may be needed than the agency’s plan to provide within six months guidance on deploying the vehicles on roadways.

Paul Scullion, safety manager at the Association of Global Automakers, said at a recent public meeting that there are risks to deviating from the government’s traditional process of issuing regulations and standards.

But NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said the agency must move quickly because cars with self-driving technology are already on U.S. roads.

(AP)