Malaysia to adopt a gradual approach to autonomous driving, to build regulatory, infra aspects first – Nanta

Malaysia will take a gradual, safety-first approach to autonomous driving by building the necessary regulatory and infrastructure foundations for the technology before any large-scale deployment comes about. According to works minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, the government is not going to simply jump into it.

“We want to take it slow and steady to ensure that the safety aspect is not compromised. We must have regulations in place,” he told the New Straits Times.

“On the regulatory side, focus areas include safety standards, legal liability, cyber security and data governance, while on infrastructure readiness, improvements are ongoing in road markings, signage, road safety standards and digital connectivity. or as some people call it, ‘road furniture’,” he said.

He said the direction of travel system that the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project will utilise is an example of the latter, with dedicated lanes and infrastructure for the autonomous rail transit (ART) trackless trams already being built in the state capital.

It has already been indicated that Malaysia is gearing towards autonomous driving, with deputy minister of investment, trade and industry Sim Tze Tzin saying last month that although the country has not begun looking intently into the topic, the plan is to get Level 3 capability in place by 2030.

As defined by SAE International, autonomous driving is classified on a scale of Level 0, where the driver controls all functions, to Level 5, which represents full driverless capability in all conditions. Level 3 automation allows a vehicle to drive itself in specific conditions, but the driver must remain alert and be ready to take over control of the vehicle when required.

Programmes exploring the tech have come about in the past, but primarily from a pilot on-road evaluation viewpoint. Back in November 2020, the government defined its first autonomous vehicle test routes on public roads in Cyberjaya, with approval coming a month later in December. eMoovit Technology was the first company to receive approval for use of the routes for its autonomous vehicle testbed.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.