Why is Australia stuck in the slow lane on driverless cars?
Australian regulations put a much higher bar on robot drivers than human ones. That makes little sense when it’s likely that the tech is already safer.
In August, United States authorities agreed to allow Waymo’s robotaxis to expand their existing zones to include urban motorways for the first time – in San Francisco and Phoenix.
Driverless cars are spreading fast in the US and China, but not here: Australian authorities are yet to be convinced these vehicles are completely safe. It’s time to catch up – automation doesn’t just make transport more efficient, it can also reduce the road toll.
