Driverless cars to be tested on public roads

By Christopher Tan, The Straits Times, 14 Jan 2015

BY MARCH, a small fleet of driverless cars will start plying the one-north area as Singapore joins an exclusive but growing group of countries testing autonomous vehicles on public roads.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and JTC Corp have earmarked a 6km test route in the research hub for the trial.

Post by Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving.

Although the circuit consists mainly of low-traffic roads, there are stretches with moderately heavy traffic, such as Portsdown Road and Ayer Rajah Avenue.

Some likely participants have been sounded out for the one- year exercise, which may be extended. These include the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (Smart), A*Star and ST Kinetics.

The Straits Times understands that LTA is also reaching out to car manufacturers that are working on autonomous technologies, such as Daimler and Nissan.

Dr James Fu, project leader of Smart's autonomous vehicle section, said although research in the field is being carried out by several parties, there is not much sharing of information. He said: "We're not sure how exactly others are doing this, but we're trying to see how we can do it."

Smart will be using an electric Mitsubishi iMiEV that has been retrofitted to be self-driving.

Dr Fu said one objective of the test is to advance research on the "decision-making process" of autonomous vehicles, such as how a driverless car behaves at a junction, for instance.

Germany, Japan and the US are among the first countries to allow autonomous vehicles to be tested on public roads.

While semi-automated vehicles are already available at showrooms, fully-automated models are unlikely to be on sale until at least 2020. Industry experts said this is mainly because of legislation lagging behind technological advancements.

LTA chief executive Chew Men Leong said the trial in one-north "will give us the opportunity to learn and understand the technical capabilities and infrastructural requirements necessary for automated vehicles to operate safely on public roads".

What if driverless cars got into accidents?

I READ with interest the report on the pilot testing of driverless cars on public roads in the one-north area ("Driverless cars to be tested on public roads"; last Wednesday).

I do not doubt the maturity of the technology as Google has already tested similar vehicles in the United States. But I do have questions on legal liability and claims arising from accidents involving driverless vehicles.

Who is liable in such cases? Will the manufacturers be directly responsible since no drivers are operating these vehicles? Will current motor insurance cover damage caused by such vehicles?

I hope the Land Transport Authority and the motor insurance industry can provide advice so motorists can make informed decisions.

It is better that we address these concerns now before problems arise.

Ng Lee Meng
ST Forum, 20 Jan 2015

Safety framework for testing of driverless vehicles

WE THANK Mr Ng Lee Meng for his letter ("What if driverless cars got into accidents?"; Jan 20).

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) closely tracks the advancement of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology worldwide to see how AVs can meet our future transport needs.

Previously, we had approved the trial of driverless vehicles within the campuses of the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University by their respective research institutions.

The AV test bed in one-north will build on these ongoing efforts, and give us the opportunity to learn and understand the technical capabilities and infrastructural requirements for driverless vehicles to operate safely on public roads.

Participants of the trial in one-north will need to comply with a safety framework that the LTA and one-north's master planner and developer, JTC Corporation, have drawn up to ensure the safety of all road users.

Under these requirements, a qualified driver must always be on board when the AV is tested. He is responsible for the safe operation of the AV and will be required to take control of it if necessary during the test runs.

The test vehicles also have to be fitted with data recorders to keep track of information such as the date and time of the test, as well as the speed of the vehicle. In the event of an incident, information from the recorders can be used to assist in the investigation.

All participating companies also need to ensure that their test vehicles have the necessary insurance coverage.

Helen Lim (Ms)
Director, Media Relations
Land Transport Authority
ST Forum, 29 Jan 2015