Adapted from similar frameworks used in the aviation, rail and nuclear industries, the new report highlights a systematic approach to testing and evaluating Automated Driving Systems

WARRENDALE, Pa. (July 22, 2021) – The Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium™ (AVSC) today announced a new framework for automated driving testing and evaluation. With the launch of the AVSC Information Report for Adapting a Safety Management System (SMS) for Automated Driving System (ADS) SAE Level 4 and 5 Testing and Evaluation, the AVSC is furthering the safe development, testing and evaluation of automated vehicles.

“As automated driving systems advance, there is an increasingly diverse pool of people and resources involved in developing, testing and evaluating them,” said director of the AVSC, Amy Chu. “The safety management system framework outlined in the report provides a consistent structure for managing safe testing operations, including key responsibilities, processes and risk assessments, which can be broadly adopted and commonly used across ADS organizations. Applying frameworks, like SMS, demonstrates the industry’s commitment to safety and is another critical step in engendering public trust and confidence in the testing and deployment of automated vehicles.”

An SMS integrates safety principles, processes, and practices to enhance organizational decisions based on safety risk. This framework is one way to enable an organization to identity, track, and trace potential safety risks at a holistic level by:

• Promoting continuous learning: An organization can continuously seek and analyze safety information and take action to mitigate potential safety risks in the operation of its ADS testing program.

• Taking Ownership: An organization can clarify authority, responsibility, and accountability for safety management within its organization for the purposes of its ADS testing operations.

• Scaling safety management: An organization, regardless of size, can tailor systems, programs and resources to document and track potential safety hazards in its testing operations to resolution.

• Transferring best practices: An organization can consider how changes within the organization may affect ADS testing operational safety.

“Knowledge sharing plays a vital role in supporting continuous improvement for the ADS industry,” added Chu. “The members of the AVSC developed a new type of publication – an Information Report – to create awareness of sound and effective approaches that support the responsible development and testing of automated vehicle technology.”

For more information about the AVSC, visit avsc.sae-itc.org.

The Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium™ (AVSC) is an industry program of SAE Industry Technologies Consortia® (SAE ITC) building on principles that will inform and help lead to industrywide standards for advancing automated driving systems. The members of this consortium have long been focused on the development of safe, reliable and high-quality vehicles, and are committed to applying these same principles to SAE Level 4 and Level 5 automated vehicles so communities, government entities and the public can be confident that these vehicles will be deployed safely.

SAE Industry Technologies Consortia (SAE ITC®) is an affiliate of SAE International. The SAE ITC team specializes in establishing and managing consortia by providing proven processes, tools and resources. SAE ITC enables public, private, academic and government organizations to connect and collaborate in neutral, pre-competitive forums thus empowering the setting and implementation of strategic business improvements in highly engineered industries globally. www.sae-itc.com.

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