Greetings, Dear Readers!
Nowadays, all OEMs (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc.) claim to have ADAS features. It is very important to have a thorough understanding of ADAS from all angles. The most important thing is to have an understanding of standard bodies who develop ADAS standards and keep them up-to-date.
My purpose in this article is to describe all standards governing bodies that are currently working on ADAS standards because the rapid pace of ADAS technologies and the accompanying technology testing creates a challenge for standards bodies and enforcement agencies. Some of the ADAS technologies installed in cars, trucks, and buses today were absolutely unthinkable even 10 years ago.
There is already an array of organizations around the world, each involved in various aspects of vehicle safety. And since ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) are increasingly built into cars, trucks, and buses, these organizations have been steadily incorporating more and more ADAS-related standards and protocols.
ADAS is meant to reduce human errors that lead to vehicle accidents, as i covered in my 1st article of this series. ADAS operates both passively, i.e., alerting the driver of a potential collision, or actively, by braking and/or steering the vehicle. But whether an ADAS system simply warns the driver or takes control of the steering wheel and performs an automatic emergency brake maneuver, the goal is the same: to save lives. Please refer to my 1st article published in Automark Nov’24 edition of this series for a comprehensive list of ADAS features.
These organizations are continually defining, refining, and mandating automotive testing and regulations across Europe, North America, and around the world.
Due to the dynamic nature of ADAS development, it’s a constant challenge for regulators to keep up. So, while over-regulation can sometimes constrain development, under-regulation might lead to compromised safety protocols, and no one wants that. The point of ADAS is to save lives by preventing accidents. The regulators are charged with making sure that any technology built into our cars only improves safety, and does not present a hazard itself.
Below are the major organizations involved in setting, maintaining, and in some cases, enforcing these standards.
1.SAE International
The Society of Automotive Engineersare used by 120,000 members all around the world, in the automotive and aerospace domains. SAE standards do not have legal authority, but they are often referenced and incorporated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in America, as well as Transport Canada. For example, SAE J3016, which defines the six levels of automation for cars, has been adopted by the NHTSA.
2.ISO 26262 ASIL – automotive safety integrity level
ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. ISO develops and publishes International Standards for a wide range of technologies, including automobiles. ISO 26262 defines a risk classification system, also known as an “ASIL” (Automotive Safety Integrity Level) for the functional safety of road vehicles.
ISO 26262 defines four levels, where A is the lowest level of risk, and D is the highest. Systems including airbags and anti-lock brakes get the highest level, since their proper function is so critical to safety, whereas less critical systems such as brake lights rate an A level.
ASIL levels are determined by three factors: severity, exposure, and controllability, and each one of these three has several classes. For example, severity is classified from S0 to S3:
S0: No injuries
S1: Light to moderate injuries
S2: Severe to life-threatening (survival probable) injuries
S3: Life-threatening (survival uncertain) to fatal injuries
3.NHTSA – National highway and traffic administration
NHTSA is a department within the US DOT (Department of Transpiration) They describe their mission as, “Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes.” They manage and enforce automotive-related safety standards, including those developed internally as well as some external standards from SAE, for example. The NHTSA famously invented the crash test dummy in the 1960s. They license foreign and domestic manufacturers to sell their vehicles within the USA, and they have the power to block the import of vehicles that do not meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
4.UNECE
Part of the United Nation the UNECE is the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. UNECE fosters economic harmonization among nations. In 2012 the UNECE’s World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulation established new regulations intended to improve passenger safety, including:
- Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS)
- Child Restraint Systems (CRS)
- Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS)
5. Transport Canada
Transport Canada is a federal agency that is responsible for transportation policies and programs in Canada. They manage defects and recalls, the importing of foreign-made vehicles, child car seats, and a wide range of safety standards for private and commercial vehicles. Canada has a set of safety standards similar to the USA’s FMVSS called the CMVSS (Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards).
Transport Canada performs extensive crash testing at their Motor Vehicle Test Centre in Quebec. They manage safety recalls for the Canadian market, and are involved in every aspect of road and vehicle safety.
6. EURO NCAP
EURO NCAP (The European New Car Assessment Program) has a five-star rating system that ranks the safety of vehicles, for the benefit of consumers and vehicle fleet managers. They derive these results by conducting tests on their own and accredited proving grounds.
Their rankings from 0 to 5 stars are defined on their website.
0-star safety: Meeting type-approval standards so can legally be sold but lacking critical modern safety technology.
1-star safety: Marginal crash protection and little in the way of crash avoidance technology.
2-star safety: Nominal crash protection but lacking crash avoidance technology
3-star safety: At least average occupant protection but not always equipped with the latest crash avoidance features.
4-star safety: Overall good performance in crash protection and all-round; additional crash avoidance technology may be present.
5-star safety: Overall excellent performance in crash protection and well equipped with comprehensive and robust crash avoidance technology.
6. JARI (Japan)
The Japan Automobile research Institute (JARI) is a foundation dedicated to automotive research and testing In 2003, JARI merged with the Japan Electric Vehicle Association (JEVA) and the Association of Electronic Technology for Automobile Traffic and Driving (AETATD).
7. CATARC (China)
The China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) is a scientific research institute. Established in 1985 to help China manage its automotive industry, it is now a part of SASAC (State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council).
Among other things, they are involved with C-NCAP, C-ECAP, and proving ground testing.
8. NTC (Australia)
The Australian government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, and Communications administers the Australian Design Rules (ADRs), which are national standards of vehicle safety. They are focused on driver protection, emissions, braking, and much more.
Every automobile driven on Australian roads, regardless of where it was manufactured, must comply with the ADRs. The official policy of the Australian government is to bring their standards into harmonization with international regulations of the UN (see above), wherever possible.
Exclusive written for Automark Magazine, April 2025 printed edition. By Muhammad Usman Iqbal