Automated vehicles offer the possibility of fundamentally changing the transport task and society. It is likely this technology can improve road safety, mobility, productivity and environmental outcomes. However, current regulations do not adequately support automated road vehicles and there is uncertainty about how and when current polices and regulations will be adapted. There is also a risk that, without a national and coordinated response to automated vehicle reform, Australia’s complex regulatory framework will result in inconsistent regulation of automated vehicles across states and territories. In this policy paper, the National Transport Commission (NTC) recommends that the Commonwealth and state and territory governments support on-road trials, remove unnecessary legal barriers, and provide for the safe operation of automated vehicles. These reforms should be undertaken in a phased approach, with near-term, medium-term and longterm priorities, based on an assessment of when different levels of automated vehicles are likely to be commercially available in Australia. In November 2015 the Transport and Infrastructure Council tasked the NTC to identify any regulatory or operational barriers associated with the introduction of road and rail vehicles that are more automated. The NTC project has identifed: • There are no regulatory barriers to automated rail (including light rail) in Australia, and the NTC project will not be considering automated rail further. • Current regulations can support vehicles that have partial or conditional automation, but control of the vehicle needs to be clarifed. • There are legal barriers to highly and fully automated road vehicles. • A nationally consistent regulatory framework can support automated road vehicles. The regulatory framework should be underpinned by nationally agreed policy principles. (Author/publisher)
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