1. Let’s not talk about driverless cars Nick Koukoulas | Austroads Chief Executive
Thank you for this opportunity.
I am perhaps, controversially, not that interested in talking to you about driverless cars.
But a little first about Austroads, the organisation I head up.

2. What is Austroads?
The peak organisation of Australasian road transport and traffic agencies.
Austroads members comprise 11 road jurisdictions from Australia and New Zealand. Representing national, state/territory and local government interests. Members collectively manage 900,000km of roads, worth $200b - the single largest community asset in Australia and New Zealand.
Austroads is the peak organisation of Australasian road transport agencies.
Our members collectively manage 900,000km of roads, worth $200b - the single largest community asset in Australia and New Zealand.

3. Our focus
Improving the safety, productivity and sustainability of Australasia’s road networks through research and collaboration.
We are very actively engaged in a range of activities to improve the safety, productivity and sustainability of Australia and New Zealand’s road networks.
Our key areas of work are collaboration, research, and the production of harmonised standards which dictate how roads are designed, built and managed in Australia and New Zealand.

4. Our focus: connected and automated vehicles
Improving the safety, productivity and sustainability of Australasia’s road networks through research and collaboration.
Connected and automated vehicles is one of four high-level over arching program areas for Austroads.
We employ a small team of specialists who are working closely with key government and industry stakeholders to establish the required supporting frameworks to introduce Connected and Automated Vehicles.
You may notice that I don’t use the terminology “Driverless Cars”.

5. We are on a journey This is a long way off.
That’s because we are on a journey and at the moment driverless cars are well into our future.
And there’s a lot of work to be done before we get there.

6. We are on a journey Our fleet now In 5-10 years In 10+ years
Connected and automated vehicles are already part of our fleet and their capability is a precursor to what’s coming.
The way we think about the journey to full automation is illustrated in this slide.
Right now we have three levels of automation in our fleet: all of which require the driver to undertake most of the driving tasks.
We have:
Vehicles with no automation.
Some with level 1 automation: which provides driver assist such as speed controls or steering assistance
And some with level 2 automation: which combines driver assistance technologies and also uses information from the driving environment. **
In five to 10 years we expect to see vehicles in the fleet which have level 3 and 4 automation.
Level 3 is an automated driving system that can perform most tasks but still requires a person to respond to requests and intervene.
At Level 4 that requirement for human intervention is no longer necessary.
And then we’ll start to see the introduction of fully automated vehicles.
Our fleet now
In 5-10 years
In 10+ years

7. Potential impacts of automation
A safer and more convenient transport system
Significantly reduce the number of fatal and serious injury crashes
It will likely change our:
Use and ownership of vehicles
Access to transport
Road environment and land
Data collection and use
There are wide ranging potential impacts.
The road safety benefits are particularly compelling.
Recent Austroads research looked at six connected and automated driving applications (things like lane keep assist, forward collision warning and auto emergency braking). We found that when just these six technologies (and there are many many more) are fully adopted across the light passenger vehicle fleet, they could prevent up to 6,500 fatal and serious injury crashes in Australia.
The introduction of automated cars will also bring a range of other social and environmental changes.
We will need to manage those changes to ensure we, as a community, benefit from the changes and are not disadvantaged by them.
One area I thought people with an interest in adverting might find particularly useful to consider is the impacts on data collection and use.
This is rarely talked about

8. Data collection and use
Even today’s vehicles come equipped with a wide array of equipment and features that rely on the collection and use of data about consumers and their vehicles.
These new features support a range of technologies that enhance safety, convenience, and entertainment for occupants and improve efficiency and performance of the vehicle. 
The top section of this slide in blue shows the growing number of data receivers – there are entities that collect and transmit data through the connected vehicle ecosystem.
The grey area shows the types of data that is generated.
As vehicles become more connected, it will be increasingly important to communicate with consumers how their information is collected and shared.

9. Data collection
This shows some of the basic data-generating devices in today’s connected vehicles.
There are emerging data ecosystems that power incredible new features in vehicles—features that can warn drivers of an accident before they see it, or jolt them awake if they fall asleep at the wheel.
This first illustration shows some of the data generating devices on a vehicle’s body
***
And then this illustration shows some of the internally located devices.
Many of these new features are enabled by the collection of new types of data, putting the topic of privacy in connected cars on the agenda of industry, policymakers, and regulators. 

10. Driverless cars Neither a joyride nor a road to nowhere
Are coming but still some way off
Will require careful management to ensure we reap their potential benefits
This is the penultimate slide: so let’s quickly talk about driverless cars.
They are coming.
I am in no doubt that in my own lifetime I will regularly travel in a vehicle that is fully automated.
The lead up to their introduction has been and will continue to be fascinating, game changing and challenging.
But like any great change, their introduction has risks and we must actively manage those risks to fully appreciate their benefits.

11. Nick Koukoulas
Chief Executive, Austroads