Engineer group airs self-driving vehicle safety guide

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS-A professional engineering advocacy group has developed a set of safety guidelines to measure the readiness of self-driving vehicle technologies.

The National Society of Professional Engineers claims its new guide, titled, "Autonomous Vehicles: A Public Regulatory Policy Guide," will help public policy decision makers, regulators, manufacturers, and others promote and protect the public health, safety, and welfare in the development and use of such technologies.

"There has been considerable discussion in both the public and private sectors about AV safety and the need for standards; however, to date, no one has consolidated the many concerns into a single policy document for consideration," says Tim Austin, past president of NSPE and current chairman of the organization's Automated Vehicle Task Force.

"Given NSPE's unique role in promoting the competent and ethical practice of engineering across industiy, we felt compelled to create a benchmark policy guide to kick-start dialogue," Austin says.

With the introduction of autonomous vehicles, automation is poised to become a much larger part of the transportation environment, he says.

Much of the discussion to date has addressed the technology, its capabilities, and the perceived public benefits. However, many questions remain unanswered by industry, which has led to uncertainty within the public regulatory environment, Austin says.

To address this uncertainty, NSPE proposes 12 standards as a starting point for adopting requirements that protect public safety, he says.

Here is a synopsis of the NSPE guidelines.

Risk assessment: Autonomous vehicle manufacturers should adopt a risk assessment and/or hazard severity model. NSPE recommends that risk assessment be defined in a manner similar to the risk assessment table from the American Society of Civil Engineers' automated people mover standards.

Ethics compliance disclosure: Autonomous vehicle manufacturers' safety shouldn't be limited to the vehicle's occupants. NSPE recommends a human driver should be present to assess the immediate environs while driving to determine the best possible outcome for a specific given operating action.

Self-sufficiency: The organization proposes that autonomous vehicles should be able to operate safely and correctly without the support of additional public infrastructure and investment, such as dedicated AV lanes and vehicle-to-infrastructure investments.

Accountability: NSPE recommends that autonomous vehicle manufacturers should be required to maintain an expanded event data recorder, also known as a black box, for post-incident evaluation.

Third-party verification: Autonomous vehicle manufacturers should be required to demonstrate capability for safe driving before further expansion and rollout. NSPE proposes that third-party verification should be performed by a licensed professional engineer or others who are appropriately qualified to perform such evaluations.

Redundancy: Autonomous vehicle manufacturers should provide backup operating systems. NSPE advises that redundancy can ensure that critical operating systems will function while maintaining passenger and occupant safety.

Map standardization: Autonomous vehicle manufacturers should work toward a standardized mapping system that ensures the correct location of the vehicle. NSPE suggests that a standardized mapping system potentially can ensure necessary and timely changes to the system's maps.

Security: The organization recommends that autonomous vehicle manufacturers should demonstrate, before widespread deployment, a certain level of security to prevent jamming and hacking.

Training/operational licensing: NSPE recommends that vehicle manufacturers should provide training and operational support beyond the regular driver's license for certain levels of autonomy. Drivers should be provided training to introduce and educate them about the limitations of various self-guiding features. For higher levels of autonomy, manufacturers should provide a means for occupants or passengers to get to a position of safety if necessary.

Maintain manual controls: Manual driver controls should be maintained for autonomous vehicles for all levels of autonomy, NSPE proposes. Scenarios in which a vehicle experiences a failure that requires the driver to move the vehicle can be reasonably expected.

Safety features: The organization recommends that the current level of automotive safety devices and features should be sustained until sufficient historical data is compiled on the accident history and safety record of autonomous vehicles and can justify otherwise.

Vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity: As part of autonomous vehicle operation and to enhance safety, vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity should be included as part of autonomous vehicle operation, NSPE proposes.

Austin says, "Our hope is that both public and private interests can start collaborating more closely to facilitate successful and safe implementation of AV technology for the benefit of the public."

NSPE claims to serve as the voice and advocate of licensed professional engineers.

Founded in 1934, the organization serves more than 31,000 members and the public through 52 state and territorial societies and more than 400 chapters.