This paper provides an overview of recent legislative trends to legalise automated vehicles (AV) operations, and explores possible challenges the community pursuing AV deployment will have to address, particularly by focusing on the non-technological aspects.

While public transport remains marginalised in policy and practice, private cars will continue to dominate the way we travel.

The purpose of this decision regulation impact statement is to analyse options for the safety assurance of automated driving systems. This analysis is intended to inform a Transport and Infrastructure Council decision on a safety assurance approach.

This briefing draws upon the expertise of RMIT’s transport research community to inform policy makers and the wider community on critical challenges presented by the emergence of new transport technologies.

Urban mobility options have substantially increased in recent years, enabled by the widespread availability of smart device software Apps, geo-positioning technology, and the ease of electronic financial transactions. These options are likely to be supplemented soon by the rapidly advancing development of autonomous vehicles.