Becoming an Autonomous Vehicle-ready Nation
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Singapore’s readiness to become an autonomous vehicle-ready nation and the establishment of regulatory frameworks. MP Mr Azmoon Ahmad questioned if Singapore is ready for such technology and how the ministry responded to a recent accident. Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan stated that while widespread deployment is 10 to 15 years away, the Land Transport Authority facilitates trials requiring strict safety assessments and insurance. The Ministry is studying legal frameworks for future actual-use deployment and is sharing knowledge with overseas counterparts. Regarding the nuTonomy accident, Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan confirmed that investigations are underway and trials remain suspended until safety shortcomings are rectified.
Transcript
20 Mr Azmoon Ahmad asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether Singapore is ready to be claimed as an autonomous vehicle-ready nation; (b) if so, whether the regulations and legal framework have been established; and (c) how does the Ministry intend to deal with the recent accident involving an autonomous driving vehicle.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Self-driving technology gives us the opportunity to improve the public transport system in a significant way. For example, we can overcome manpower shortages with self-driving buses. We can also introduce new mobility concepts, such as fleets of self-driving pods, to enhance first-last mile travel. We are testing these and other concepts to better understand the technology and their potential for application in Singapore. Self-driving technology, however, is not yet mature enough for widespread public deployment. Most analysts believe that this day is about 10 to 15 years away. But over the next few years, we will see incremental deployment in limited circumstances and geographies.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has established a regulatory framework to facilitate trials of self-driving vehicles in Singapore. To trial on public roads, self-driving vehicles must demonstrate roadworthiness by passing an overall vehicle safety assessment. All trial participants must have in place insurance covering injury to persons, death and property damage.
We are also studying the regulatory and legal frameworks we would need to have in place for the day when self-driving vehicles are deployed on our roads on an actual-use basis, and no longer for trials and pilots. The trials currently being conducted in One-North and other parts of Singapore will give us a better understanding of these issues. We are also sharing notes with overseas counterparts.
LTA and the Traffic Police are investigating the accident involving nuTonomy's self-driving car. In the meantime, nuTonomy has stopped its trials while it reviews the causes of the accident and how to improve the safety of its trials and rectify any technological shortcomings it may find.