Browse Topic: Level 0 (No driving automation)

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Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor VehiclesJ3016_202609 (Current)9/20/2026
This document describes [motor] vehicle driving automation systems that perform part or all of the dynamic driving task (DDT) on a sustained basis. It provides a taxonomy with detailed definitions for levels of driving automation, ranging from no driving automation (Level 0) to automated driving under all conditions in which humans can drive, with human driving not needed (Level 5), in the context of [motor] vehicles (hereafter also referred to as “vehicle” or “vehicles”) and their operation on roadways: Level 0: No driving automation Level 1: Driver support for steering OR speed, with continual driver supervision necessary and driver intervention when needed Level 2: Driver support for steering AND speed, with continual driver supervision necessary and driver intervention when needed Level 3: Automated driving under defined conditions, with human driving needed following an alert or evident vehicle malfunction Level 4: Automated driving under defined conditions, with human driving not needed to mitigate risk Level 5: Automated driving under all conditions in which humans can drive, with human driving not needed. The simple level descriptors have been changed to improve understanding of the differences among levels, but these are NOT the definitions of the levels of driving automation. See the definitions of each automation level in Sections 4 and 5 for explanation of these changes. These level definitions, along with additional supporting terms and definitions provided herein, can be used to describe the full range of driving automation features equipped on [motor] vehicles in a functionally consistent and coherent manner. “On-road” refers to publicly accessible roadways (including parking areas and private campuses that permit public access) that collectively serve all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and users of vehicles with and without driving automation features. The levels apply to the driving automation feature(s) that are engaged in any given instance of on-road operation of an equipped vehicle. As such, although a given vehicle may be equipped with a driving automation system that is capable of delivering multiple driving automation features that perform at different levels, the level of driving automation exhibited in any given instance is determined by the feature(s) that are engaged. This document also refers to three primary actors in driving: the (human) user, the driving automation system, and other vehicle systems and components. These other vehicle systems and components (or the vehicle in general terms) do not include the driving automation system in this model, even though as a practical matter a driving automation system may actually share hardware and software components with other vehicle systems, such as a processing module(s) or operating code. The levels of driving automation are defined by reference to the specific role played by each of the three primary actors in performance of the DDT and/or DDT fallback. “Role” in this context refers to the expected role of a given primary actor, based on the design of the driving automation system in question and not necessarily to the actual performance of a given primary actor. For example, a driver who fails to monitor the roadway during engagement of a Level 1 adaptive cruise control (ACC) system still has the role of driver, even while they are neglecting it. Active safety systems, such as electronic stability control (ESC) and automatic emergency braking (AEB), and certain types of driver assistance systems, such as lane keeping assistance (LKA), are excluded from the scope of this driving automation taxonomy because they do not perform part or all of the DDT on a sustained basis, but rather provide momentary intervention during potentially hazardous situations. Due to the momentary nature of the actions of active safety systems, their intervention does not change or eliminate the role of the driver in performing part or all of the DDT, and thus are not considered to be driving automation, even though they perform automated functions. In addition, systems that inform, alert, or warn the driver about hazards in the driving environment are also outside the scope of this driving automation taxonomy, as they neither automate part or all of the DDT, nor change the driver’s role in performance of the DDT (see 8.13). It should be noted, however, that crash avoidance features, including intervention-type active safety systems, may be included in vehicles equipped with driving automation systems at any level. For automated driving system (ADS) features (i.e., Levels 3 to 5) that perform the entire DDT, crash mitigation and avoidance capability is part of ADS functionality (see also 8.13). Note that this document provides a taxonomy and definitions and is not a safety standard. The document is not intended to provide guidance for safe vehicle operation by the driving automation system.
On-Road Automated Driving (ORAD) Committee
Safe Deployment of AI and ML Based Software and Algorithms in ADAS Systems2025-01-80714/1/2025
As the autonomy of ADAS features are moving from SAE level 0 autonomy to SAE level 5 autonomy of operation, reliance on AI/ML based algorithms in ADAS critical functions like perception, fusion and path planning are increasing predominantly. AI/ML based algorithms offer exceptional performance of the ADAS features, at the same time these advanced algorithms also bring in safety challenges as well. This paper explores the functional safety aspects of AI/ML based systems in ADAS functions like perception, object fusion and path planning, by discussing the safety requirements development for AI/ML systems, dataset safety life cycle, verification and validation of AI systems, and safety analysis used for AI systems. Among all the safety aspects listed above, emphasis is put on dataset safety lifecycle as that is not only the most important element for training ML based algorithms for ADAS usage, but also the most cumbersome and expensive. The safety characteristics associated with dataset lifecycle are dataset safety analysis, dataset requirements development, dataset design and implementation, dataset verification and validation and then finally dataset maintenance. All these dataset life cycle characteristics are discussed in detail. Holistically, this paper outlines the process flow on what is needed from safety point of view to evaluate AI/ML based systems to claim the vehicles with advanced AI/ML systems are free from unreasonable risk. Also, considering perception system as an example, Key Performance Indicators (KPI) from safety perspective are defined to explain the acceptance and rejection criteria of the AI/ML based perception system.
Mudunuri, Venkateswara Raju, Almasri, Hossam, Fan, Hsing-Hua, Chandrasekaran, Mukund
System Engineering of an Advanced Driver Assistance System2019-01-08764/2/2019
Current Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) often interact with the driver; aiding with either warnings or direct intervention. This work explores the development of an ADAS system to provide lane departure warning, forward collision warning, and a recommended following distance for a custom plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle. The system utilizes off-the-shelf hardware with in-house computer vision and sensor fusion algorithms to create a low-cost SAE Level 0 driver assistance system. The system utilizes a radar sensor as well as a camera to detect, classify, and track target vehicles. This work will illustrate the systems engineering methods used for outlining customer requirements, technical requirements, component selection, software development, simulation, vehicle fitment, and validation. Similar system engineering processes could be implemented for higher level SAE systems.
Stoddart, Evan, Chebolu, Subash, Midlam-Mohler, Shawn
Identifying Traffic Scenarios to Evaluate Driver Readiness in Automated Driving: An Exploratory Study2018-01-05024/3/2018
Automated vehicle technology is rapidly increasing in capability and the adoption of these technologies will become more widespread in the future. In the intermediate stages of automation where the driver is required to supplement the automated technology, it may be necessary to evaluate the driver’s readiness to take-over a part or of all the dynamic driving task (SAE, 2016). Specifically, while driving with a level 2 or 3 automated driving feature, a challenge may be that drivers with low readiness fail to take over in an appropriate manner. One important implication of assessing driver readiness is to assess driver state. In this study, we investigated candidate for a driver readiness index which was compared between manual driving (Level 0) and ACC driving (Level 1). Additionally, one more method to evaluate the readiness of the driver is to measure whether the driver anticipates potential hazards (i.e., does their foot hover over the brake or throttle). To encourage this type of behavior, vehicles could include a human-machine interface (HMI) that supports the driver to understand where potential hazards exist; however, this would need to be designed to prevent annoyance. The hypothesis for the series of studies was that showing overall traffic status allows the driver to more rapidly prepare for potential hazards when compared with no additional information (i.e., next lane vehicle turn signal). This part of the current study measured driver behavior and traffic data along a designated route in a naturalistic setting. Several traffic scenarios were identified that include overt anticipatory behavior. In this paper, we had two research questions. One is how to measure driver readiness level. Two is what type of information would be useful for maintaining readiness.
Fukui, Toshinao, Remtema, Todd, Austin, Benjamin, Domeyer, Joshua
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