SA clears roads for ‘real-life’ testing of driverless cars
SOUTH Australian roads will be ready for “real-life” testing of driverless cars under new legislation being introduced in Parliament this week.
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SOUTH Australian roads will be ready for “real-life” testing of driverless cars under new legislation being introduced in Parliament this week.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Stephen Mullighan will introduce a Bill allowing for the trials, positioning the state at the forefront of a global industry projected to be worth $90 billion in 15 years.
The state will be the first in the Southern Hemisphere to test the technology on a closed-off Southern Expressway in November, but needs updated laws to allow for further trials on public roads alongside other users.
The Motor Vehicles (Trials of Automotive Technologies) Amendment Bill will provide for exemptions from existing laws and build in necessary insurances.
“As the first state in Australia to regulate a framework for such testing, we are opening our doors to global businesses to develop and trial their technologies here, while also creating the right environment for local businesses to grow and flourish,” Mr Mullighan said.
The November 7-8 road trials and related conference is tipped to unlock economic benefits for the state.
There are no proposals on the table but companies looking to trial technologies will have to submit detailed plans for approval, have sufficient insurances to protect the public, and still be subject to penalties for breaching road laws outside the scope of the trial.
“It is critical that the public has confidence that these trials will operate safely on our roads,” Mr Mullighan said.
The legislation also requires notice of any trials to be published at least one month in advance on the Department for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure website and a full report before both houses of parliament within six months of the completion of the trial.
Mr Mullighan announced the changes at South Australian company Cohda Wireless’ offices today, which said it would be handy to test their technology at home rather than travel the world to do it.
A UniSA spin-off, Cohda Wireless has pioneered technology that allows vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication that is currently being trialled in the US and Europe.
Cohda software is being used in the next generation of General Motors vehicles, the Cadillac CTS, due in the market by 2017 — and the company is a participant in the November trial.
Flinders University, Carnegie Mellon University, the RAA, Telstra and Bosch are also partners in testing Volvo’s vehicles here.
Independent road research agency, ARRB (Australian Road Research Board) Group is expecting the trials to showcase how the technology will fit in with the Australian market.
