• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, July 2, 2019

Creating, testing and operating autonomous vehicles is complicated, so a group of auto industry leaders have banded together to scope out rules of the road.

They have just published “Safety First for Automated Driving,” a framework for the “development, testing and validation of automated passenger vehicles.”

The 11 companies creating the non-binding framework are BMW, Audi, Intel, Volkswagen, Here, FCA , Daimler, Continental, Baidu, Aptiv and Infineo.

The white paper features 12 guiding principles aimed at "tackling the risks introduced by autonomous vehicles.”

The principles include safe operation aspects, such as insuring sufficient time for the transition of control to the vehicle operator; security, such as taking steps to protect the automated driving system; and user responsibility, such as creating a system able to recognize the user’s state and keep them informed about “their responsibilities concerning the required user’s task.”

The frameworks suggests automated functions need to be easy to understand by surrounding road users, as well as predictable and manageable.

The 130-page document also identifies numerous challenges of self-driving vehicles, including protecting fleets from cybersecurity attacks.

The focus is on emphasizing the importance of validated safety by design. At least many in the industry are thinking along the same lines.