Safety standard unveiled for autonomous driving systems

China has released a mandatory national standard regarding safety requirements for autonomous driving systems, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Tuesday.

The standard is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2027. It applies to M and N-category vehicles equipped with Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving systems, but does not cover automated parking systems, the MIIT said.

The standard requires vehicle manufacturers to improve safety assurance mechanisms throughout the product life cycle and carry out simulation, field and road tests during the development and verification of autonomous driving systems, according to the MIIT.

It also calls for stronger capabilities in performing dynamic driving tasks, while specifying requirements for human-machine interaction and user notification to prevent misuse and abuse. For Level 3 systems, vehicles must be able to monitor drivers' readiness to take over control.

Looking ahead, the ministry said that it will strengthen market access management for intelligent connected vehicle products, improve testing methods for autonomous driving systems, and build a sound regulatory mechanism for intelligent connected vehicles to ensure the sector's high-quality development.

China's inaugural step into conditional automated driving is a characteristically strategic and guarded one. It is a controlled experiment designed to accumulate real-world data, refine technologies and standards within a safety-centric framework, and steadily build the foundation for the responsible integration of autonomous driving, experts said.

XINHUA-CHINA DAILY