Skip to main content

Eastlink launches annual self-driving vehicle survey

The first major survey of motorists’ attitudes to self-driving vehicles is now underway in Victoria, Australia on the privately-owned Eastlink freeway, a north-south transport artery in the east of Melbourne. Self-driving vehicle technologies such as highway autopilot are increasingly offered by the latest production vehicles in Australia. Further advances will continue to occur, with hands-off-the-wheel driving on EastLink and other suitable freeways expected within the next few years, subject to legisl
September 12, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The first major survey of motorists’ attitudes to self-driving vehicles is now underway in Victoria, Australia on the privately-owned Eastlink freeway, a north-south transport artery in the east of Melbourne.


Self-driving vehicle technologies such as highway autopilot are increasingly offered by the latest production vehicles in Australia. Further advances will continue to occur, with hands-off-the-wheel driving on EastLink and other suitable freeways expected within the next few years, subject to legislative changes.

EastLink is already involved in trials of the latest vehicles to identify opportunities to improve the compatibility between the latest self-driving vehicle technologies and freeway infrastructure.

To complement these technical trials, EastLink with support from the Australian Road Research Board, has launched the Annual Victorian Self-Driving Vehicle Survey, the first major survey of Victorian motorists’ perceptions of, and attitudes to, self-driving vehicles.

The 2017 survey will identify a baseline for motorists’ perceptions and attitudes. EastLink will then repeat the survey annually to track changes into the future.

Related Content

  • C-ITS in the EU: ‘A little tribal’
    April 1, 2019
    As the C-ITS Delegated Act begins its journey through the European policy maze, Adam Hill looks at who is expecting what from this proposed framework for connected vehicles – and why some people are insisting that the lawmakers are already getting things wrong here are furrowed brows in Brussels and Strasbourg as European Union legislators begin to consider the rules which will underpin future services such as connected vehicles. The idea is to create a regulatory framework to harmonise cooperative ITS
  • Melbourne taxi drivers go slow
    February 28, 2017
    Taxi drivers in Melbourne, Australia, have staged a ‘go slow’ during morning rush hour on one of the city’s busiest roads, Tullamarine freeway, in protest at changes to state government industry reforms that would regulate ride-sharing app Uber and scrap taxi licences.
  • Demonstration zone launched to develop connected and automated vehicles, Canada
    November 10, 2017
    A new autonomous vehicle (AV) demonstration zone has launched to allow researchers to hone the technology and test AVs in a range of everyday, real-life traffic scenarios in Ontario, Canada. Called the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN), the Canadian government has invested $80 million (£61 million) over a five-year period in support of the project.
  • Demonstration zone launched to develop connected and automated vehicles, Canada
    November 10, 2017
    A new autonomous vehicle (AV) demonstration zone has launched to allow researchers to hone the technology and test AVs in a range of everyday, real-life traffic scenarios in Ontario, Canada. Called the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN), the Canadian government has invested $80 million (£61 million) over a five-year period in support of the project.