Australia must embrace driverless technology before it's too late

The latest data from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics points towards an increase in road fatalities. Major accidents in Hamilton, Victoria and the Hunter Valley in NSW have pulled the topic back into the public eye. The tragic nature of road accidents are all too apparent right now.

But what's missing from the discussion, and perhaps something Australia should be looking at more closely in response to this, is the rise of self-driving vehicles.

Australia's move towards an electric vehicle future has somewhat overshadowed this equally important piece of technology. There is a high chance any car you purchase over the next decade will not only run on a battery, but also have advanced self-driving capabilities. This is already the case with some cars, such as the newer Tesla models.

While trials and debate continue abroad, Australia has remained unusually quiet when it comes to self-driving vehicles. This is unusual because Australia has the most to gain from this innovation. We have one of the largest numbers of cars per capita of many developed countries, and our sparse population means lengthy road trips are more common.

There has been some movement on the issue, with the launch and trials of driverless shuttles in Adelaide and the Gold Coast. Both launched a trial a few years ago and have since provided little details as to whether the services will keep operating.

Overseas, driverless robo-taxis and shuttles are popping up in more places. The most prominent trial by far is in San Francisco, where companies Cruise and Waymo are operating a full driverless taxi service.

Australia has never been a leader when it comes to new auto technologies. While things are picking up pace, our track record with the rollout of EVs really speaks for itself.

But the issue here is by ignoring the technology until it's too late, we do ourselves a disservice.

Much like with the lagging introduction of fuel-efficiency standards, I can see a situation where Australia becomes a dumping ground for cars that don't have driverless capabilities, simply because we're refusing to start prepping for this technology.

This isn't as simple as a policy or ethics debate. We need to ensure our roads are ready - that our street signs are visible, that there's accurate map data of our road network. All of these small details will take time.

Keeping our head in the sand also prevents discussion as to what the future of transport will actually look like. The rise of driverless vehicles also brings into question whether there will be shifts in the demand to actually own a car or have access to one? This ties into this idea of transport-as-a-service - where automated taxis replace vehicle ownership. There's a real chance the next generation of Australians may not ever own a car.

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Then there's of course the question of safety. While it doesn't seem it - given every single incident with a driverless car generates a news story, but every safe trip is unremarkable - there is a real chance this technology could make a tangible impact on road safety in Australia. We need more sophisticated trials in this market to fully understand how.

All of these questions beg for leadership and direction. It's taken years for policy-makers to really step up to the plate with EVs. It's 2023 and we finally have a national policy! We can't afford to make the same mistake with driverless technology.