The National Transport Commission (NTC) wants feedback on four regulatory options for the safety assurance of automated vehicles, which are expected to be on Australian roads in about three years.

New proposals will also be considered as the commission prepares to submit recommendations to transport ministers in November.

“Australian governments are starting to remove legislative barriers to more automated road vehicles,” NTC CEO Paul Retter said. “Without a safety assurance system, these vehicles could potentially be deployed with no government oversight or regulatory intervention.

“We need a mechanism that supports innovation without unnecessary red tape, but also assures the Australian public that automated vehicles are safe.”

The NTC’s four regulatory options are:

• Continue current approach – no additional regulatory oversight, with an emphasis on existing safeguards in Australian Consumer Law and road transport laws
• Self-certification – manufacturers make a statement of compliance against high-level safety criteria developed by government, and this could be supported by a primary safety duty to provide safe vehicles
• Pre-market approval – automated driving systems are certified by a government agency as meeting minimum prescribed technical standards
• Accreditation – an agency accredits an automated driving system. The accredited party demonstrates it has identified and managed safety risks to a legal standard.

Submissions are open until 4pm on July 28. View the discussion paper here.