122. The Chief of Section for Road Safety Management and Transport of Dangerous Goods informed WP.29 about activities of mutual interest to WP.1 and WP.29. He provided information on the outcome of the seventy-eighth session of WP.1 held in March 2019. Concerning the progress in harmonizing lighting provisions in the 1968 Vienna Convention and the UN Regulations on lighting and light signalling annexed to the 1958 agreement, he stated that amendments to the 1968 Vienna Convention could not be agreed on and that consideration would be resumed at the next session of WP.1, on the basis of an official document.

123. He added that WP.1 had discussed automated driving topics: (i) the concept of activities other than driving, and (ii) situations where a driver operates a vehicle from outside of the vehicle. Both would be further considered on the basis of official documents at the next session of WP.1.

124. The Chief of Section summarized the outcome of the WP.1’s discussion concerning highly and fully automated vehicles, where the group had noted the final adoption of the “Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety resolution on the deployment of highly and fully automated vehicles in road traffic” and had discussed possible follow-up actions for promoting this resolution.

125. He highlighted that WP.1 had also discussed a proposal to amend provisions on the driver’s control of the vehicle of Article 8 of the 1968 Vienna Convention. Discussions on this matter would continue at the upcoming session of WP.1.

126. He concluded that WP.1 had acknowledged the success of the joint event of WP.29 and WP.1 “Automation in Transport: Safe deployment automated vehicles in traffic”, held in February 2019.