In a move to prioritize safety by design, 11 leaders from the automotive and automated driving technology industry have published the “Safety First for Automated Driving” (SaFAD).
It is a non-binding organized framework for the development, testing and validation of safe automated passenger vehicles. The 11 companies involved in creating this report on the procedure to build, test and operate a safe automated vehicle are Aptiv, Audi, Baidu, BMW, Continental, Daimler, FCA US LLC, HERE, Infineon, Intel and Volkswagen.
The full report is available in PDF format: “Safety First for Automated Driving”
Since the automotive industry is in the initial stages of working towards setting standards for automated driving, the authors of the SaFAD framework have focused on the importance of safety by design, along with verification and validation.
According to a joint release by the companies, the SaFAD maps out a system for clear traceability for automated vehicle (AV) developers and operators that establishes how AVs are “safer than the average driver” due to components like cameras and steering systems. This is also the first time that a summary is available for the well-known SAE (J3016) defined safety-by-design and verification and validation methods for Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving.
The SaFAD document is based on its 12 Guiding Principles which have been refined into potential capability requirements for AVs. Safe-by-design elements are derived from these capabilities to in turn conform to the guiding principles.
In an effort to decrease vehicle crash fatalities, improve traffic flow and introduce new mobility concepts, the automotive industry has witnessed a growing interest in developing automated driving technology. Consequently, both established companies and new enterprises have created a wide range of methodologies for this purpose.
“Safety First for Automated Driving” brings together the expertise from leaders in the automaker, supplier and technology industries to aid in the development of safe automated vehicles. After publishing the report, its authors and experts from each participating organization now intend to showcase the group’s collaborative work at global industry and technology conferences over the next several months.
