Tony Weber
Adoption of autonomous and connected vehicles will stop road deaths increasing in Australia, but only if the government invests in their uptake and infrastructure.
So says Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Tony Weber at the Future of Mobility Summit at Bosch Australia in Melbourne on August 27.
Rapid adoption of these technologies would not only save lives but have important benefits for the environment, ease congestion and improve living standards, motoring.com.au reports him saying.
Weber says road deaths reached about 3800 in 1970 before governments began introducing measures such as compulsory seat belt wearing, random breath testing, speed cameras and more.
He says the road toll went down to 1275 deaths by 2017, but the toll has been increasing in recent years.
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) will help prevent that, expected to reduce the road toll by 90% where deaths are caused by driver error, Weber believes.
He says connected vehicles can talk to each other and obtain information through roadside infrastructure, ensuring they alert drivers and occupants to road hazards.
Weber says Australia has the option of either waiting for such things as AVs to happen or can make them happen.
He says governments need to take a proactive stance, adding that it’s a similar situation with electric vehicles (EVs).
Governments often fail to understand the benefits, such as savings, produced by new technology, Weber says.
Annual improvements in vehicle technology are helping lift road safety, the organisation says.
“The FCAI continues to support the National Road Safety Strategy 2011–2020, which outlines broad directions for the future of Australian road safety, and sets out initiatives and options in four key areas—Safe Roads, Safe Speeds, Safe Vehicles and Safe People.”
It adds that members are introducing vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems into Australia, as part of the progression to true driverless cars.
