On 29 May, it was announced
that Australia will be adopting a uniform national approach in drafting a new
national driving law to regulate automated driving systems and automated
vehicles.
The announcement made by the National Transport Commission
(NTC) described the move as “a ground-breaking approach to driving laws in
Australia” which will see the development of purpose-built legislation to allow
an automated driving system (ADS) to drive more automated motor vehicles in
place of a human.
According
to Mr Paul Retter, Chief Executive of the NTC, the new national law, due to be
in place by 2020, would bring certainty to manufacturers and operators looking
to bring more automated vehicle technology to Australia.
“With
automated vehicles, there will be times when an ‘automated driving system’,
rather than a human, will be in control of the vehicle. We need a nationally
consistent law to know who is in control of a motor vehicle at any point in
time,” said Mr Retter.
“Without
a change to existing laws or new law, there would be no-one to hold responsible
for compliance with our road rules when an automated driving system is in
control of a vehicle.”
Mr
Retter said the NTC believed a uniform national approach will help automated
vehicle manufacturers and the public understand the legal framework they are
operating in and accelerate the introduction of automated vehicles in
Australia.
“This is a considerable change to national road transport
laws, to support the significant changes we see coming in transport
technology,” Mr Retter said.
On 18 May, transport ministers of various states and
territories across the country agreed to a uniform approach to ensure there is
always a legal entity in charge of driving when an automated driving system is
engaged. They have
agreed that Australia should aim to have end-to-end regulation in place by 2020
to support the safe commercial deployment and operation of automated vehicles
at all levels of automation.
As set out in the NTC Policy Paper Changing driving laws
to support automated vehicles,
the new legislation would be in place by 2020 in time for the
anticipated commercial rollout of automated vehicles in Australia.
The NTC proposed the introduction of a uniform law to
achieve several objectives:
(1)
To allow an automated driving system, rather
than a human, to perform the dynamic driving task when it is engaged,
(2)
To ensure that there is always a legal entity
responsible for driving,
(3)
To set out any obligations on relevant entities,
including the ADS entity, and users of automated vehicles, and
(4)
To provide flexible compliance and enforcement
options.
The NTC consulted widely with government and industry through
a discussion paper on changing driving laws to support automated vehicles.
Following on from the ministers’ approval, the
NTC will work closely with road agencies and transport departments to develop
the detailed policy recommendations and legislative analysis necessary to
establish the new purpose-built national law by 2020.