Following is a question by the Hon Duncan Chiu and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, in the Legislative Council today (November 23):
Question:
It is learnt that some vehicle manufacturers enable the replay of closed-circuit views by on-board visual display units by connecting smart devices and cloud platforms through radio waves. Also, some electric private cars are equipped with a "car-hailing feature" (i.e. drivers can remotely control, without the need to get onto the driving seats, their vehicles to edge into and out of car parking spaces by using a mobile phone application). However, some vehicle owners have relayed that these innovative features have been unable to be used due to the restrictions of the Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations (Cap. 374A). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as there are views that replaying a closed-circuit view inside a parked vehicle will not affect traffic safety, and allowing vehicle owners to view and display stored visual images of the area surrounding the vehicle will help them understand the causes of traffic accidents, whether the Government will amend the relevant legislation to allow more information to be displayed on an on-board visual display unit while the vehicle is parked; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) as some vehicle owners have pointed out that the car-hailing feature can greatly help them get to grips with narrow car parking spaces, whether the Government will amend the relevant legislation to allow vehicle owners to use the relevant feature; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) whether it will comprehensively draw reference from the application of innovative features of private cars in other countries and regions in order to consider, in a holistic manner, amending the existing relevant legislation of Hong Kong to allow more innovative vehicle features to be used in Hong Kong, thereby achieving the goal of developing Hong Kong into a smart city; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government attaches great importance to road safety and endeavours to ensure the safety of road users. The Transport Department (TD) has made reference to systems and experiences in places outside Hong Kong from time to time, with a view to formulating and implementing appropriate road safety strategies and measures. On the other hand, with the rapidly advancing automotive technology, many vehicle manufacturers have, in recent years, equipped their vehicles with various driver-friendly devices and advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), and the relevant functions have become increasingly diverse. The TD has been closely monitoring the international development and application of relevant automotive technology with an aim to introducing new automotive technology without compromising road safety. My consolidated reply to the Hon Duncan Chiu's question is as follows:
Visual display unit (VDU)
Currently, pursuant to regulation 37 of the Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations (Cap. 374A), a VDU that is designed to give the driver the following information or view may be installed in or on a motor vehicle:
(i) information about the current state of the vehicle or its equipment;
(ii) the current closed-circuit view of any part of the vehicle or the area surrounding the vehicle;
(iii) information about the current location of the vehicle; or
(iv) any other information which is only for the purpose of navigating the vehicle.
In recent years, some vehicle manufacturers have equipped their vehicles with devices having the function of video playback, which can replay the video recordings of the area surrounding the vehicle in the VDU (i.e. not the current view). As the video recordings of this function do not belong to information or view listed in items (i) to (iv) above, the VDU is not allowed to display the information or view irrespective of whether or not the vehicle is in motion. However, having considered the technological development, road safety, and making reference to regulatory experience in other jurisdictions, the Government will propose legislative amendments to relax the display of information on the VDU, including the playback of video recordings of the area surrounding the vehicle, when the parking brake of a vehicle is effectively applied (i.e. the vehicle is parked), provided that road safety is not compromised.
ADAS
Under the existing legal framework, the Commissioner for Transport will only approve the registration of a motor vehicle if he/she considers that the motor vehicle is roadworthy. Having considered the latest development of the automotive technology and road conditions in Hong Kong, the TD has already approved most ADAS functions available in the market for installation on vehicles, such as automatic parking, side collision warning, vehicle hold, automatic steer, automatic lane change, lane keeping, cruise control and automatic emergency braking, etc. They can be used under specific driving environments in compliance with relevant internationally recognised standards.
Remote control parking function (also known as summon function) is one of the various advanced driver assistance functions. The function enables the driver to use a mobile device to remotely control the vehicle away from the driving seat. Nevertheless, the driver is still required to drive or operate the vehicle equipped with such driver assistance function. On the other hand, the existing legislation specifies that the driver must turn off the engine and ensure the parking brake is applied before vacating the vehicle. In other words, when the driver leaves the vehicle and prepares to remotely park the vehicle, the said statutory requirements cannot be complied with. As the use of the remote control parking function would contravene the existing legislation, the TD currently cannot approve its use in Hong Kong. In view of this, the TD has completed feasibility study of approving the remote control parking function and has consulted registered vehicle manufacturers on the specifications of the remote control parking function in the market and relevant international technical standards. Having considered the international vehicle construction standards, the latest development of automotive technology, road conditions in Hong Kong, and after a detailed review of the relevant legislation and making reference to the systems in other places, the Government will propose to make legislative amendments to enable the use of remote control parking function by driver without compromising road safety.
With regard to the above proposed legislative amendments, the TD has consulted registered vehicle manufacturers, the Road Safety Research Committee and the Road Safety Council. We also plan to consult the Legislative Council Panel on Transport on the details of the amendments within this year. In the meantime, the TD will continue to monitor the development and application of international automotive technology and will review various requirements for vehicle construction with a view to updating the local vehicle safety standards for bringing them in line with prevalent international vehicle standards and technological development.
Ends/Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Issued at HKT 12:18