Connected and automated driving is still struggling with the question of when an autonomous vehicle (AV) is acceptably safe. This is a question that has been revisited several times in this column throughout the years. The launch of AVs on a large scale has been hampered not only by safety concerns but also by other aspects, such as business models. But the safety of AVs is a major technical barrier. There is no single standard that solves the safety issues for AVs that can be required by, for example, legislation.ISO 26262 and ISO 21448 are two major safety standards used by the automotive industry today for addressing safety when the driver is still in the loop.

ISO 26262, Road Vehicles—Functional Safety, addresses hazards caused by hardware failures and software bugs. It supports the practice of automotive manufacturers identifying faults throughout the lifecycle of components and of complete vehicles and subsequently addressing those adequately.

On the other hand, ISO 21448, Safety of the Intended Functionality (SOTIF), assumes that a vehicle’s systems are without errors and that there are no hardware failures or software bugs, even though a functionality may not perform as expected. For example, a sensor may get confused by unexpected objects in conjunction with a certain weather situation, and its functionality may become hazardous, all while the hardware and software are functioning as intended.

Full Article: IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, Volume 19, Number 3, June 2024

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