Welcome back to our two-part series on driverless cars. In our last article, we outlined the current market and the technology behind these vehicles.
Now, let’s investigate how this all affects Australia.
It’s undeniable now: autonomous motor vehicles, also called driverless cars, are on the way and likely here to stay – at least for the foreseeable future. However, humans have been the pilots of our vehicles since their invention. Our old wooden carts were horse or ox-drawn, and our modern day sports cars and four-wheel drives still require our touch.
So the very fact that it’s now possible to have a vehicle on the road piloted entirely by a machine poses a number of very difficult questions. Is this safe? Do we even need driverless cars? How will our laws need to change in order to accommodate these developments?
In this two-part series, we will investigate these questions and more, giving you the information you need to formulate an educated opinion on this important subject.
As part of the ongoing mission to reduce driver distraction and make New South Wales’ streets a safer place for all road users, Transport for NSW has launched a new campaign to focus attention on the dangers of mobile phone use behind the wheel.
Earlier this month Minister for Roads Duncan Gay announced the new ‘Don’t Drive Blind, Get Your Hand Off It’ ad campaign in an October 12 media release.
“The key message we’re spreading is that if you look away from the road to read or touch your phone, even for two seconds, you’re driving blind,” said Mr Gay.
A recent announcement of new helmet regulations by Minister for Roads Duncan Gay will please motorcycle riders in New South Wales. In a Transport for NSW media release, the minister explained that European standard helmets, as well as those from other countries, would soon be available for use.
A change in helmet regulations would bring NSW into the fold with other states such as Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory, states Mr Gay.
Road fatalities are a tragic occurrence for those involved, affecting drivers, passengers and their loved ones. There are a number of road safety strategies in place that aim to reduce the road toll across Australia, such as the independent ANCAP ratings to inform consumers on vehicle safety.
The Australian Government’s National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS) is another such effort. Inaugurated in 2011, it aims to see a decrease of at least 30 per cent in national road fatalities by 2020.
Now the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) is weighing in with a state-by-state progress report on the NRSS, to see whether the country as a whole is on track to achieve its goals within the timeframe of the decade-long strategy.
While delayed response times, drowsiness, and general grogginess could sound like the end of a night out on the town, it could just as easily describe the symptoms for fatigue. When we aren’t well rested, our bodies and minds must bear the burden, which is similar to driving with alcohol in the blood.
As driving is an activity which requires us being alert and responsive, substances that could impair our judgement such as alcohol are restricted or prohibited, depending on a driver’s age and licence. However, research has come to suggest that a lack of sleep could have just as dramatic an effect on our ability to control a vehicle as alcohol.
One of the requisites for operating a vehicle, whether it’s a passenger car, motorbike or freight truck, is adequate vision. Not only do we need our sight to ostensibly see where we are going, but our sight needs to have sufficient acuity to allow us to perceive and react to various hazards in time. Some people experience central vision loss.
While for many Australian drivers, the eye test part of the licence application is a simple formality, for others it can be a barrier to their ability to operate a vehicle.
Now a new study by Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School has examined the ability of drivers with central vision loss to detect pedestrians on the road.
In an effort to reduce wear and tear on country roads, as well as make transportation more efficient, the state government developed the NSW Livestock Loading Scheme (NSWLLS) in 2012. The Scheme also includes driver education and practical training for professional drivers, to help ensure the safety of all road users.
However, while not everyone is yet on board with the scheme, an independent review has found that the benefits to country roads as well as regional residents and workers could be great.
Cars are a lot more capable than they were even a decade ago. This isn’t just referring to speed, handling and other elements of the driving experience, either. In recent years, the focus of car manufacturers around the world has been to develop a suite of safety features to better protect drivers and passengers.
Vehicle safety technology has moved past simply acting post-collision, as is the case with passive features such as airbags. Now, cars are coming equipped with sensory equipment that can detect oncoming hazards and act to prevent injury either independently or through assisting the driver.
Young drivers across New South Wales are to be the focus of ‘bstreetsmart’, a new on-road safety campaign.
Sydney’s Allphones Arena welcomed more than 22,000 NSW students hailing from 183 different schools from August 24-27 for an immersive, educational demonstration highlighting the importance of safe driving.
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