DutchNews, April 6, 2016
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| Photo: Jarino via Depositphotos.com |
Dutch
infrastructure minister Melanie Schultz is hoping to reach a deal with her
European counterparts on standard rules for self-driving cars.
Next week’s
meeting of transport ministers in Amsterdam will mark the start of efforts to
draw up cross-border rules to deal with technologies such as adaptive cruise
control, lane-keeping assistance systems and blind spot monitoring.
‘The treaty
of Vienna dates from 1968 and states a driver must always have control over his
vehicle or – and you can see how outdated it is – his animals,’ Schultz told
car magazine Autoweek. ‘We need to make new agreements.’
‘We need to see how
quickly we can do this and how we are going to harmonise the rules,’ Schultz
said. ‘And I want my colleagues who are not active in this – and there are a
lot of them – to see the advantages of self-driving systems.’
Schultz has made
self-driving cars a key part of her transport policy and wants the Netherlands
to play a leading role in developments.
Steering wheel
In January, trials of
the driverless WEpod shuttle buses began in Wageningen on the university campus
roads. The buses, which have no steering wheel or pedals, are electric and have
a maximum speed of 25 kph.
If the campus trials are a success, in June the
shuttles will begin to use public roads, travelling a pre-programmed route
between Bennekom and the Ede-Wageningen railway station.
Schultz told Autoweek
unified agreements are crucial in a single market. ‘It would be extremely
irritating to have to reset the self-driving features in your car every time
you cross the border,’ she said.
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