Page 2840 - Week 10 - Thursday, 7 October 2021
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Austroads, which is the collective body of Australia’s and New Zealand’s road transport agencies, forecasts that by 2025 around 40 per cent of Australia’s passenger vehicle fleet will feature at least one of the abovementioned features. By 2030, all passenger vehicles sold are forecast to be fitted with at least auto emergency braking, and most new vehicles will also feature multiple active safety systems.
Additionally, around 10 per cent of new car sales in 2030 will include features for highly automated driving. The ultimate potential of this technology and when it will be available for use on Australian roads is not yet certain. What is not in doubt is that automation technology will transform our vehicles and the way we travel, and the technology will constantly evolve over time.
There are many ways in which more automated vehicles could improve our lives, but perhaps the area where they offer one of the most significant benefits is road safety. Under the ACT Road Safety Strategy 2020-2025, the ACT government is committed to vision zero, meaning no deaths or serious injuries on our road transport network.
We believe that it is possible to reduce road deaths and serious injuries to zero, and for the community to avoid the terrible heartbreak and costs associated with them. In our pursuit of vision zero, we have prioritised the safe system approach to road safety. The safe system approach provides the technical methodology and policy framework for achieving vision zero.
The safe system approach focuses on three elements—safe road use, safe roads and safe vehicles—with safe speeds applying across each of the key themes. This approach has already helped us to achieve a lower number of road fatalities per capita than the national average, but there is still more to do.
Automated vehicles are safer vehicles. They improve adherence to safe speeds, detect when other vehicles present a danger, smooth traffic flows, improve vehicle control and reduce noise. Importantly, these vehicles have the potential to significantly reduce deaths and injuries resulting from human error. The safety benefits are enjoyed by both those in the vehicle and those out of the vehicle.
As with any new vehicle technology, we will ensure that any new features are introduced to ACT roads in a safe and coordinated manner. As we have stated in the ACT Road Safety Strategy 2020-2025:
Attention must be given to advances in technology that will assist in keeping all road users safe, adopting improved vehicle safety standards and increasing the uptake of safer vehicles.
In our recent submission to the Australian parliament’s Joint Select Committee on Road Safety inquiry, the ACT government welcomed the mandating of technologies like automatic emergency braking, AEB, for all new cars, which the Australian government has been consulting on. Most new cars also have adaptive cruise control technology.
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