FISITA CEO Chris Mason reflects on recent developments in automotive safety and automated driving technology in Europe
From cutting edge solutions to incremental improvements in long-established technology, FISITA exists to support the people engineering the future of mobility. We encourage the research and development that enables advances in technology – but we also know that our industry’s solutions must only be developed and delivered if they are ethical and safe.
Safety is of critical importance in everything we do at FISITA, from the issues discussed in FISITA Expert Groups (LINK), to the content we publish, and the events (LINK) we deliver, such as Intelligent Safety Conference China (ISCC) which FISITA delivers in partnership with China SAE.
FISITA is a global membership organisation, but being based in Europe, I was invited to share some thoughts at ISCC 2024 on the evolution of safety and automated driving from a European perspective.
GSR II takes effect
The most significant recent development in automotive safety in Europe has been the implementation of new mandatory safety features under the updated General Safety Regulation of the European Union. More commonly known as GSR II, this legislation came into effect in July 2022.
Under GSR II, all new vehicles sold in the EU must now be equipped with a series of new safety features to assist the driver and help better protect passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. This includes advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), the most notable of which are intelligent speed assistance (ISA), advanced emergency braking systems (AEBS), and driver monitoring systems (DMS).
ISA technology informs, warns, and discourages the driver from exceeding the local speed limit, using GPS and digital speed limit maps. GSR II also makes DMS mandatory on European roads. This technology uses cameras and AI to track eye movement, head position, and facial expressions, and alerts drivers when signs of distraction or drowsiness are detected.
The most significant recent development in automotive safety in Europe has been the implementation of new mandatory safety features under the updated General Safety Regulation of the European Union, known more commonly as GSR II
The performance of such technology is critical, and independent car safety assessment organization Euro NCAP is preparing to include DMS in its vehicle safety ratings.
Automation takes a new direction
A key aspect of GSR II is that it also established the first legal framework to allow automated and fully driverless cars to become available on European roads.
Carmakers’ plans for automated driving have evolved significantly in recent years. The projections of a decade or so ago that we would see rapid development and widespread deployment of autonomous vehicles ultimately proved overly optimistic; the technical, regulatory, and business model challenges of full autonomy are proving more complex than initially anticipated.
As a result, many automakers have dialled back their ambitions to develop autonomous vehicles for private ownership, focusing instead on automated functions that offer safety and driver convenience.
Several OEMs are now concentrating on developing and refining lower levels of automation, notably Level 2+ systems with greater emphasis on ADAS technology that delivers partial automation but still requires driver oversight; and some automakers, typically luxury brands, are introducing Level 3 systems that allow hands-free driving in limited conditions, such as slow-moving traffic.
Many automakers have dialled back their ambitions to develop autonomous vehicles for private ownership, focusing instead on automated functions that offer safety and driver convenience
Although the strategies for deployment have changed, research and development continues at pace on self-driving systems for Level 4 applications with limited Operational Design Domains; these vehicles are currently being deployed primarily in carefully managed locations such as logistics yards, ports, off-highway applications, and manufacturing campuses.
A robust regulatory framework – and influential market forces
Of course, the development, testing, and deployment of automated vehicle technology must occur within a robust regulatory framework. Perhaps the main recent regulatory development in the evolution of automated driving in Europe is UN Regulation No. 157 of 2023, which allows highly automated vehicles to reach speeds of up to 130 kph (81 mph), subject to type approval.
In addition to regulatory requirements, there’s an important role for market forces, and Euro NCAP’s Vision 2030 includes the testing and assessment of assisted and automated driver support systems, and the previously mentioned DMS technology.
Euro NCAP’s Vision 2030 will also examine human-machine interaction design, and test safety functions enabled by vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, and vehicle-to-everything communication.
On the topic of V2X communication, FISITA has been invited to co-chair the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) expert group on the role of next generation vehicular communication in enhancing road safety. One of the ITU working groups is led by FISITA and addresses the use of next generation V2X technology to improve AEB systems and protect vulnerable road users.
FISITA has been invited to co-chair the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) expert group on the role of next generation vehicular communication in enhancing road safety
The protection of VRUs is also the current focus of the FISITA Intelligent Safety Expert Group. Chaired by Bosch, and co-chaired by TU Dresden, this FISITA Expert Group is exploring the role of intelligent vehicle safety technology in the protection of pedestrians, cyclists, and others on the roads.
FISITA has also launched a new Expert Group on Automated Driving, established in response to a growing interest from FISITA members and the wider mobility engineering communities for an opportunity to bring together stakeholders in the various disciplines that enable the transfer of vehicle control from a human driver to the vehicle itself.
These are just a few examples of how, as the global membership organisation for mobility and automotive engineers and leaders, FISITA is actively involved in the pre-competitive discussions that enhance safety and enable automated driving.
Ethical and safe
Ethical and safe – the two words that underpin everything we do at FISITA. Those who know FISITA know that we facilitate similar opportunities for professional engagement, networking, and collaboration not just in safety but in all critical areas of mobility engineering; for those who don’t know FISITA, a world of pre-competitive networking and collaboration awaits – and we’ll ensure it’s ethical and safe.
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This article has been adapted from Chris Mason’s opening speech at ISCC 2024. You can view the opening speech here: