Even the slowest travelling grey nomad will inevitably face long, long stints behind the wheel as he or she traverses the vastness of Australia.
Caravanners and motorhomers are endlessly reminded of the need to rest, revive and survive but – as debate rages about the number and type of rest areas Australia’s highways should have – are road safety advocates ignoring the elephant in the room?
Maybe.
Self-driving cars are no longer the stuff of sci-fi fantasy. They are becoming a reality, with the US state of California recently issuing permits for them to be tested on all roads. Similar things are happening in several European countries, and experts are predicting that we may see driverless cars in Australia within five years.
If technology advances as quick as some anticipate, the driverless motorhome or driverless car towing a caravan will not be far behind.
The country’s leading expert in road research and technology, the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB), is currently holding its biennial conference in which discussion of what is required to get Australia ‘driverless-car ready’ is near the top of the agenda.
Recent research shows that Australians feel a lot more positively towards automated vehicles than their British or American counterparts … with 62% liking the idea of driverless cars.
“With billions of taxpayer’s dollars set to be spent over the next 10 years on infrastructure, it makes sense to plan and design for a future where we have driverless cars,” ARRB’s General Manager, Peter Damen, wrote in the Australian Financial Review. “It is crucial that we consider likely technological advancements and take these into account during the planning stages of current infrastructure projects, rather than years down the track.”
The ARRB says that Australian roads span nearly 800,000 kilometres (many of which are unsealed), and there is a huge opportunity for engineers to hone a range of technologies and techniques that will satisfy future needs.
The executive manager of the National Roads Research Program, Dr Richard Yeo, says it is a very exciting time.
“Future proofing our roads is not just for the road users today but also our children tomorrow,” he wrote. “The reality is, they may not even need to learn to drive.”
