Victoria gets ready to introduce autonomous cars Wednesday, 21 December 2016

The Victorian Government is seeking feedback from organisations and individuals about the introduction of automated vehicles on to Victorian roads.

The Government is particularly looking at the regulatory changes needed to allow testing of autonomous vehicles, in particular how to ensure road safety during testing on public roads, what constitutes a driver ‘being in control’, and understanding how the changing technology will interact with the existing transport system.

“By removing human error from the equation, autonomous vehicles will play a critical role in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Victorian roads,” said Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan.

“We want to work with the automotive and technology industries so Victoria can be at the forefront of automated vehicle technology and create jobs here.”

From early next year, a range of automated vehicles will be trialled on the Monash-Citylink-Tullamarine corridor, in a partnership between the Government and road operator Transurban.

The trial will test vehicles currently on the market, to understand how autonomous vehicle technology interacts with road infrastructure including overhead lane signals, electronic speed signs and line marking.

It will begin with testing automated vehicles that comply with existing road rules and road safety regulations. A human driver will monitor the vehicle’s operation, ready to take back control at any time.

“Industry experts say we will have fully driverless cars on the market in the next 5 to 10 years and we need to make sure our infrastructure is ready to meet this demand,” said Transurban CEO Scott Charlton.

Minister Donnellan said the Government's Future Directions Paper consultation will work within the National Transport Commission’s framework to establish nationally consistent guidelines across Australia for automated vehicle trials, which will also inform Victoria’s future policies on automated vehicles.

The consultation period runs until 3 February and can be found here.

[The Mercedes-Benz F 015 autonomous research car will not only detect pedestrians and other road users but communicate with them via external displays and a voice. Image: Mercedes-Benz]