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Driverless cars tested in Harrisburg

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Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse rides in an automated vehicle the Capitol Complex. (Photo courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services)

(Harrisburg) — Driverless vehicle technology has made its way to the state Capitol, complete with first-time passengers.

In Pennsylvania an autonomous vehicle went on display outside Pittsburgh for the first time since testing began.

Researchers made their way to the city of Harrisburg, with Mayor Eric Papenfuse among the first people take a ride.

“I felt safe the entire time, because we had an emergency “stop” button there if anything was needed and also the driver was able to take over at any moment,” he says.

Papenfuse says the one time when the driverless feature had to be overridden was when the car traveled through construction.

Research and testing is ongoing at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, while a task force led by PennDOT is expected to present a report in November on the future of driverless cars in Pennsylvania.

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