WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 -- Tesla's new Roadster drove up a curved ramp in Texas on Thursday night, left the end of it and landed on its wheels. By Friday, a senior Department of Transportation official acknowledged to CBS News that there is no clear answer on who would decide whether a car like that is safe.

The obvious candidate is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which typically oversees vehicles but delegates safety certification to the automaker, according to CBS News. In a statement, the agency said the manufacturer "must ensure that it does not defy applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards" and that NHTSA "will continue to monitor the situation." That self-certification system is the one the agency is alread...