{"id":250982,"date":"2025-09-20T12:00:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-20T04:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grab.com\/sg\/?post_type=editorial&p=250982"},"modified":"2026-01-20T18:18:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T10:18:24","slug":"autonomous-vehicle-self-driving-safety","status":"publish","type":"editorial","link":"https:\/\/www.grab.com\/sg\/inside-grab\/stories\/autonomous-vehicle-self-driving-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Are autonomous vehicles safe?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are now sharing the roads with us in some parts of the world, signalling that they have crossed important safety milestones.<\/p>

In Southeast Asia, however, AVs are still relatively new. It\u2019s fair to ask: Are they really safe? Can they make the right call when traffic gets messy?<\/p>

The short answer: yes.\u00a0<\/p>

Before any AV hits the roads anywhere, it goes through rigorous simulation, closed-track trials, and carefully supervised on-road testing.\u00a0<\/p>

In Singapore, Grab is operating its first AVs on fixed routes with layered safeguards and safety as its top priority.\u00a0The company has collaborated with Autonomous A2Z (A2Z), a Korean full-stack autonomous vehicle technology manufacturer to shuttle employees between One-North MRT station and the office with an autonomous bus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Grab is also training AVs developed by autonomous driving technology company WeRide to provide shuttle services for residents in the Punggol community in the near future.\u00a0<\/p>

(Read more: Here\u2019s how to ride on the autonomous shuttle at Punggol<\/a>)<\/p>

Working with the right partners<\/h5>

To run these AVs, Grab teams up with industry leaders in autonomous technology. WeRide, for example, brings global experience across 30 cities in 11 countries, with 2,200 days of safe operations under its belt.\u00a0<\/p>

A2Z, on the other hand, adds a strong safety track record from South Korea, having logged over 668,000 km of safe autonomous journeys from 2020 to May 2025.<\/p>

Both companies bring advanced autonomous tech capabilities to the table.\u00a0<\/p>

AVs rely on advanced sensors and software to \u201csee,\u201d understand their surroundings, and make smart decisions. WeRide\u2019s vehicles use a 360-degree sensor suite that can detect objects up to 200 metres away, even in the rain.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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An overview of the cameras and sensors on WeRide's AVs. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The AV shuttle for Grab employees<\/span>\u2014<\/span>an electric bus retrofitted with A2Z\u2019s autonomous hardware and software, alongside Grab\u2019s IoT devices<\/span>\u2014<\/span>runs with 11 sensors providing full 360-degree coverage. If the system detects an issue, a built-in safety algorithm brings the bus to a safe, complete stop.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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An illustration of the 11 sensors on the autonomous shuttle bus.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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How will AVs react to changing roads?<\/h5>

That said, roads evolve. This could be anything from new traffic lights popping up, lanes shifting due to construction projects, to road signs getting updated.\u00a0<\/p>

To keep pace, AVs are trained and retrained with the latest information and real-world runs so they can adapt to different environments and scenarios.<\/p>

(Read more: Just how safe are autonomous vehicles?<\/a>)<\/p>

For example, for Singapore\u2019s upcoming Punggol shuttle service, WeRide\u2019s vehicles undergo a route familiarisation phase where they will study every detail along their assigned routes including traffic lights, zebra crossings, speed limits, and more. This will enable the vehicles to navigate smoothly while detecting and responding to new road changes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The AV can detect pedestrians and will stop at zebra crossings.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Good citizens of the road<\/h5>

To add, the AVs are programmed to be courteous road users. They\u2019ll always observe speed limits, turn signals, and stop signs and they\u2019re designed to prioritise safety and predictability above all else in their driving behaviour.<\/p>

They are trained to adhere to Singapore\u2019s traffic laws and have passed\u00a0 safety assessments conducted by CETRAN<\/a> (The Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research of AVs-NTU) before deployment. All vehicles have passed the Milestone 1 (M1) test, where they showcase their ability to navigate basic scenarios and respond to obstacles according to Singapore traffic rules.<\/p>

They\u2019re also clearly labeled as AVs, making it easy for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to spot them on the road.<\/p>

Additional layers of safety\u00a0<\/h5>

During the initial phases of the AV’s service, a trained safety operator will always be onboard. The role of the safety operator includes:<\/p>