New transformation on roads way to the future

The municipal authorities of Beijing released a draft regulation on Monday soliciting public opinion on the use of autonomous or driverless vehicles for public transport, ride-hailing services, car rentals, and other urban travel services. The draft makes it the government's responsibility to promote the establishment of standards and the authorized use and circulation of data, and establish regulatory sandboxes, which are essential for establishing a tolerant and prudent regulatory environment for innovation in autonomous driving.

The draft suggests that the government should coordinate the development of autonomous driving with infrastructure construction planning. New, renovated, or expanded roads should reserve space for intelligent roadside infrastructure. It also lists various scenarios of autonomous vehicle innovation activities that the government should support, including ride-hailing services, which is a key step for autonomous driving because that means it can make money.

More importantly, the draft also addresses how to handle traffic rule violations committed by autonomous vehicles, and how to ensure the security of data and personal information related to autonomous driving, which is what people worry about most.

The nation's Road Traffic Safety Law still lacks regulation for unmanned vehicles, but most certainly the law will be revised in response to new situations in the future. Further, throughout the development process of autonomous driving, it is always essential for policies, regulations, and laws to keep pace with the times. For example, according to the nation's Highway Law, motor vehicle manufacturers and other units are not allowed to use highways for testing the braking performance of motor vehicles, yet real-world road testing is indispensable for autonomous driving.

The capital city allowed companies to apply for temporary road usage for autonomous vehicles in 2017. The revision of the Road Traffic Safety Law is crucial. Local legislation can explore it first before it is promoted nationwide. The legislation Beijing is pushing for is worth watching.