Parliamentary inquiry into driverless vehicles

The NSW Staysafe Committee has its eye on driverless vehicles and the potential for improving road safety such technology will deliver. The group has launched a parliamentary inquiry and is welcoming submissions from stakeholders and other interested parties. Staysafe is a joint standing committee on road safety.

“While long considered science fiction, self-driving cars are being developed and tested right now, and predicted to be on roads in the next couple of years,” said Greg Aplin MP, Member for Albury and chair of the Staysafe Committee.

Aplin believes that the potential improved road safety benefits offered by driverless technology will be “nothing less than ground-breaking” and wants to examine the subject in detail.

“The potential road safety benefits are immense and the Staysafe Committee’s inquiry will have a strong focus on establishing the basis for a regulatory framework which will facilitate and foster driverless vehicles technology to deliver improved road safety benefits to the NSW community,” said Aplin.

The committee will also examine how prepared NSW road safety regulators are to meet the challenges brought by these technologies and what amendments to NSW road safety policies and regulations may be required.

“We  are determined to ensure that NSW is prepared to seize all opportunities and mitigate potential risks these technological advances may bring,” said Aplin.

Submissions can be emailed to staysafe@parliament.nsw.gov.au, lodged via the website, or mailed to: The Chair, Joint Committee on Road Safety, Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000.

The closing date for submissions is Monday, 11 April 2016.