Automated vehicles should require 'driving tests'

A new report from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has called for 'driving tests' to be introduced within EU safety approval rules for automated and fully-autonomous vehicles. The ETSC said that the EU has yet to answer the range of research and regulatory questions that will need to be considered before both automated and autonomous vehicles can be sold. The report called for the promised safety benefits to be given priority, with one of the main potential issues being the ability of the cars to follow national road rules in 28 different EU countries. It's for this reason that a 'comprehensive' driver test will need to be introduced. A number of questions over how autonomous vehicles will be able to interact within other human-driven vehicles remain, as well as how they will interact with vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Antonio Avenoso, executive director for the ETSC, said: 'Automated vehicles are already starting to appear on Europe's roads, but regulators are still stuck in the slow lane. 'It is crucial that we get a much greater understanding of what the real world safety benefits would be, and what new risks would be introduced before these vehicles are put on sale.î The ETSC has called for short-term measures to be introduced, including the mandatory installation of effective and proven driver assistance systems including both Automated Emergency Breaking (AEB) and over ridable Intelligent Speed Assistance in all cars. They've also called for a new EU framework to be developed in order to approve future automated technologies and autonomous vehicles. EU driving license regulations will also need to be updated in order to reflect the natural need for drivers to be able to safely take back command from automated systems. Another claim is that EU rules on road infrastructure safety need to be revised in order to include requirements for automated and semi-automated vehicles, such as unique and clear road markings. 'Gear 2030', a high-level expert group tasked to address future development of the automotive industry, was launched by the European Commission's industry department.