Safety the focus as autonomous vehicles advance

• By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

Autonomous vehicles are in the spotlight, although officials expect few roadblocks when investigating crashes involving such vehicles, the Transportation Safety Board said on Wednesday as it launched a safety study.

At a session of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, Democratic Progressive Party legislators Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) and Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) asked board chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) whether Taiwan has a mechanism to regulate autonomous vehicles and prevent crashes involving them.

Lee asked whether the board has the technology and resources to investigate such crashes, as autonomous vehicles are very different from standard gas or electric vehicles.

The government lacks comprehensive regulations for driverless vehicles, Chen said, adding that the board is also keen to help establish a disaster-prevention mechanism to address battery fires in electric vehicles, including buses.

The development of autonomous and electric vehicles has triggered discussions worldwide about the hazards — potential and realized — they pose, he said, adding that the board in June discussed the issues with overseas experts in a videoconference.

“We have simulated how investigations should proceed into crashes involving autonomous vehicles, so we should have no problem completing such a task,” Young said.

“We also hope to be involved when the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications conduct tests of autonomous vehicles,” he said.

The board would focus on studying autonomous vehicle safety in the next few years, as well as standard assembly methods for tour buses and the management of construction sites along railway lines, Young said.