Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) determined that manual intervention by a safety officer caused a recent collision of an autonomous vehicle (AV) with a road divider in Punggol. The incident occurred along Edgedale Plains, and a review conducted with vehicle operator ComfortDelGro (CDG) revealed the AV had initially reacted correctly to a detected object.
Autonomous Vehicle Collision Caused by Manual Override
The LTA stated the AV “detected an object that was not on the road” and began changing lanes as a precaution. The on-board safety officer, observing the lane change without an apparent reason, intervened and took manual control of the vehicle, causing it to exit autonomous mode.
However, the safety officer was unable to complete the maneuver in time, resulting in the collision with the road divider, according to the LTA. A simulation of the incident indicated the AV likely would have safely completed the maneuver and resumed its intended course without manual intervention.
As a result of the incident, the LTA and CDG have reviewed operating procedures for transitions between autonomous and manual driving, and guidelines for safety officer intervention during AV operation. The goal is to ensure safety for all, the authority said.
The LTA also emphasized the importance of the familiarization phase, where AVs adapt to Singapore’s road conditions and operators and safety officers understand AV behavior without passengers on board.
The LTA will lift the safety timeout it had implemented for CDG’s self-driving vehicles, and CDG will resume autonomous operations in Punggol on Friday.
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