The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has on Monday commenced public consultation to gather feedback on the proposed legal and regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Singapore.

The ministry said in a statement that this is part of MOT’s efforts to develop legislation that will govern AVs deployed on roads in Singapore more holistically.

This legislation will include lessons learnt from the existing AV regulatory sandbox under the Road Traffic Act and international best practices.

According to the statement, Singapore is committed to ensuring the safety of AVs deployed on its roads, while supporting industry development and innovation with new technology in the transport sector.

Its current road traffic framework is designed with human drivers in mind, not AVs.

The proposed AV legislation will clarify the safety regulations, as well as the liability, insurance and enforcement regimes for the operation of AVs.

This gives businesses the legal clarity they need to operate AVs, while giving assurance to commuters.

MOT said it will engage industry players, the insurance and legal sectors, unions, and the public to seek views on the proposed legislation. The public consultation will be open until 30 June 2026.

The consultation focuses on four critical areas that will form the foundation of the AV legislative framework.

Firstly, responsibility and accountability of key players involved in AV deployments.

The framework has identified four key players in the AV ecosystem: (a) the entities in-charge of AV technology, (b) fleet operators, (c) onboard Safety Operators, and (d) Remote Operators.

The consultation seeks views on the key players and how best to regulate them through measures such as vehicle approval processes, licensing schemes, penalties for serious breaches, and updates to liability rules that will apply during both testing and full commercial operations.

Secondly, compensation and insurance. It is recognizing the importance of timely victim compensation following AV accidents, the consultation seeks views on the role of AV insurance in supporting deployments, given the existing insurance regime in Singapore.

Key considerations include keeping premiums affordable, ensuring timely payouts, and covering new risks like cyber attacks on vehicles.

Thirdly, data and cybersecurity management. Given that AVs collect and generate substantial amounts of data, the proposed framework addresses personal data protection, public security, regulatory oversight and accident investigation requirements.

The consultation seeks to gather feedback on calibrating the requirements on AV players to achieve these objectives while minimizing compliance burden.

Fourthly, advanced driver assistance systems and conditional automation. As the distinction between conventional vehicles and AVs becomes increasingly blurred, the consultation seeks views on the liability issues when accidents happen during the handovers between the human drivers and conditional automated systems, which could still require prompt manual intervention.

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