Hong Kong: No unapproved driver-assist or driverless vehicles allowed

Hong Kong has restated its rules for drivers of cars from Guangdong: driver-assistance systems the Transport Department hasn’t approved must stay switched off on the city’s roads. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan set this out on Oct. 7, responding to a lawmaker’s question about reports that some drivers were using them.

The department makes the rule clear to applicants in the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme. Staff at the mainland inspection centers it designates remind them in person during vehicle inspections, and applicants also get notices and emails.

A driver who uses an unapproved system, or takes their hands off the wheel while relying on one, may be breaking traffic laws such as careless or dangerous driving, with fines, loss of a driving license or even prison on conviction. The Hong Kong Police Force follows up complaints and suspected violations, and the department may report cases to the Guangdong Provincial Government and suspend or revoke a car’s eligibility for the scheme.

The same goes for driverless vehicles, which need a government pilot licence to run on Hong Kong roads. Remote human operators who watch over them from a control room are legally their drivers, as are any operators on board.

Sources: HKSAR Government (LegCo reply, Transport Department, Trial and Pilot Use of Autonomous Vehicles, Photo: Bernard Spragg via Wikimedia Commons (2014, CC0)

Editor: Ian Lamont