Safety rules for self-driving cars unveiled

China has announced its first mandatory national safety standard for Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous vehicles, tightening safety requirements for self-driving cars in the world's largest automotive market.

The safety requirements for automated driving systems of intelligent connected vehicles, which will take effect on July 1, 2027, have been approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration. The rules were introduced on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Tuesday.

Unlike previous driver assistance technologies, the L3 automated driving system enables vehicles to take over certain driving tasks under specific conditions, while still requiring human intervention. The L4 system can perform driving tasks without human input in designated environments.

According to the new requirements, automated driving systems must achieve an equivalent safety level to that of a qualified and attentive human driver performing the same dynamic driving tasks while avoiding unnecessary risks to passengers and other road users.

The standard introduces clearer requirements for human-machine interaction, which has become an increasingly important issue as drivers shift between automated and manual control.

For L3 vehicles, manufacturers must equip their systems with driver takeover monitoring to ensure that motorists are able to resume control when requested. Vehicles must also provide clear information regarding when automated driving is ready, activated or disengaged. If a human driver fails to respond to a takeover request, the vehicle must automatically execute a minimum-risk maneuver, which is a predefined sequence designed to bring the vehicle to the safest possible state.

Rao Qing, chief architect for global solutions at the autonomous driving company Momenta, said, "The release of the mandatory national standard marks the beginning of a new phase for China's autonomous driving industry, where large-scale commercialization is built on safety and clear regulatory benchmarks."

Since the beginning of the year, regulators have introduced standards relating to simulation testing, vehicle communications and Level 2 driver-assistance systems, as well as mandatory safety requirements for higher levels of automation, resulting in one of the most comprehensive regulatory frameworks for self-driving vehicles in the country.

Last year, China granted conditional approval to its first L3 autonomous passenger vehicles and positioned intelligent driving as a key area of development.

The latest data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows that in the first half of this year, 70.5 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in China were equipped with L2 combined driver assistance systems, which means that roughly seven out of every 10 new vehicles were equipped with such technology.

However, some industry experts said that fewer than 10 percent of L2-equipped vehicle owners have actually activated or used the driver assistance functions.

Jiang Han, a senior researcher at the think tank Pangoal, said: "The new mandatory national standard marks a fundamental shift in China's regulation for autonomous driving — from giving emerging technologies room to develop, to imposing hard requirements to ensure safety. It will also promote the healthy development of China's autonomous driving market, as it continues to develop at a rapid speed."

chengyu@chinadaily.com.cn