Legislation is being developed to manage the safe operation of automated vehicles on public roads – and the federal government wants your input.
Current laws do not allow for the general use of automated vehicles – including automated cars, trucks and buses – on our roads.
The National Transport Commission (NTC) and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA) have been working alongside state and territory governments to create a set of rules for automated vehicle safety called the Automated Vehicle Safely Law (AVSL).
The federal government is now seeking the public’s input on what they think of the proposed regulatory framework as a whole, including how the law should keep modifications, repairs and remote operation of automated vehicles safe, and how to make sure consumers get the information they need about automated vehicles.
The consultation also explores changes to state and territory laws, including what new road rules are required for people using automated vehicles.
This latest round of consultation is seeking feedback on new areas of the proposed law and closes on June 11, 2024.
The NTC has prepared a consultation paper to help you understand the proposed regulatory framework and what’s been done so far, and would like to hear your thoughts on some specific questions.
Short on time? A shorter explanatory document can be read here that summarises the longer consultation paper.
Along with the consultation paper, the NTC has also created 18 supporting papers. These papers dive deeper into important ideas to give you more information.
If you’d prefer to jump straight to a specific supporting paper or area of interest, you can find them all in the Key Documents library below, or visit the web pages for specific areas of interest:
- Making sure the Automated Driving System is safe when it enters the market
- Keeping the Automated Driving System safe when it is on-road
- How people will interact with an Automated Driving System
You can give your input by answering the questions in our online form or by uploading a submission in response to the consultation paper. You can choose to give feedback on as many or as few topics as you want.
If you prefer, you can also email your submission to automatedvehicles@ntc.gov.au.
For more information and to have your say, click here.
A six-month Transurban trial of driverless trucks in Melbourne was supposed to begin last week, but was postponed at the eleventh hour after the Transport Workers Union raised concerns around safety, and other issues.
Im interested in seeing how automated vehicles will react to oversize trucks and thier pilots, or in situations where, trucks need to block the road for a moment to reverse into yards.