A new regulatory framework adopted by the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations aims to establish a core set of common safety requirements and a shared method for the validation of vehicles equipped with ADS.
The new rules seek to strengthen trust amongst governments, industry and the general public by ensuring that automated systems meet a set of rigorous safety standards.
The regulations require manufacturers to implement comprehensive audited safety management systems covering the full life cycle of an automated driving system, as well as ensure that all test environments meet strict credibility criteria whilst demonstrating that their ADS poses ‘no unreasonable risk’.
All manufacturers must conduct continuous performance monitoring and reporting in order to ensure that real-world performance of automated vehicles can be assessed following deployment, with vehicles required to be equipped with a data storage system for automated driving, ensuring that safety-relevant data is recorded and available for oversight.
UNECE said:By preventing fragmented national approaches, the regulation offers clarity for manufacturers, confidence for consumers and a pathway to scale innovation safely across markets.
The regulation, according to UNECE, requires automatic driving performance to match or exceed that of a competent human driver, and, because n ADS will handle all driving tasks, which includes steering, accelerating, decelerating and signalling, manufacturers must demonstrate “robust design, validation and compliance with traffic rules through simulation, track testing, and real‑world trials”.
Thus far, the regulation has received support from a number of major auto markets, including Canada, China, European Union, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States, and is expected to enter into force in roughly one month.
Alongside the new regulatory framework, the UN forum has also adopted amendments to roughly 90 UN regulations, which introduce clarifications that ensure existing vehicle regulations remain applicable to vehicles equipped with ADS, including those without traditional driver controls.
