Skip to main content

Australia launches self-driving vehicle pilot

The Victorian Government in Australia has partnered with Bosch, the Transport Accident Commission and VicRoads to build the first vehicle developed in Australia with self-driving capabilities. The US$900,000 (AU$1.2 million) investment has helped Bosch develop the self-driving vehicle, which has been designed to navigate roads with or without driver input and includes technology such as inbuilt sensors and cameras to detect and avoid hazards such as pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles. Trials of
October 6, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The Victorian Government in Australia has partnered with Bosch, the Transport Accident Commission and 4728 VicRoads to build the first vehicle developed in Australia with self-driving capabilities.

The US$900,000 (AU$1.2 million) investment has helped Bosch develop the self-driving vehicle, which has been designed to navigate roads with or without driver input and includes technology such as inbuilt sensors and cameras to detect and avoid hazards such as pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles.

Trials of the vehicle will be used to inform the development of regulations and infrastructure to enable similar self-driving cars to operate on Victorian roads when they become commercially available in the future.

The trial will also help VicRoads better understand how motorists use self-driving vehicles and the changes needed to prepare for the future.

Traffic management experts and urban planners will get a better understanding of the need to reconfigure road networks and traffic signals to optimise safety and the flow of vehicles across the network.

The government believe self-driving vehicles are an important step to reducing road trauma with 90 per cent of crashes resulting from human error. It says the introduction of highly-automated vehicles has the potential to help Victoria achieve its Towards Zero vision – a future free of deaths and serious injuries on the state’s roads.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cubic’s holistic view of traffic management
    May 25, 2022
    How can cities and transit agencies ease congested roadways? Andy Taylor of Cubic Transportation Systems suggests it would help to take a more holistic view of the problem
  • Driver Ahead conference: more training needed on driverless cars
    October 12, 2017
    Driverless cars can create confusion unless training meets the fast pace of change and helps drivers cope with a whole new set of demands, according to a conclusion reached by industry experts at London’s ‘Driver Ahead’ conference in London. The IAM RoadSmart/ RAC Foundation/ Pirelli event consisted of over 100 industry experts who set out to map a safe route for driverless cars. Guest speaker Victoria Coren-Mitchell opened the conference by introducing the “death by code” concept
  • Tatweer smart platform aims to reduce human driving error
    May 10, 2023
    System automates driving behaviour assessment to increase accuracy and cut costs
  • TfL to trial new bus sensor technology
    August 1, 2014
    Transport for London (TfL) is to trial detection software to enhance bus driver awareness of pedestrians and cyclists. The six-week trial will start later this month as part of a continued drive to improve road safety in the capital. Four buses will be fitted with brand new pedestrian and cyclist detection software which directly alerts bus drivers when pedestrians and cyclists are moving close to their vehicles, helping to reduce collisions. TfL is trialling two systems, CycleEye from Fusion Processi