Autonomous Vehicle Safety Training and Advisory

UL Solutions won an AutoTech Breakthrough Award! To celebrate, we are offering a limited-time discount on select automotive trainings. Learn more.

Advancing innovation for autonomous vehicle safety technology  

Advancements in automated vehicle technologies have the potential to completely change the landscape for commuters, commercial fleets and shared mobility providers while dramatically reducing the loss of life each day in roadway crashes. The promised benefits of autonomous vehicles are significant, however, the complexities of full driving automation, paired with the sheer number of competitors with widely different algorithmic solutions, introduce considerable safety challenges. As such, many have yet to develop trust in the technology.  

Safety becomes even more critical when introducing a disruptive technology with critical decisions that rely on the functional safety of software and systems. A deep understanding and alignment to industry safety standards will be necessary to help innovators manage complexity and build confidence in autonomous technologies.  

Safety standards for autonomous vehicles

Because autonomous technology spans software, electrical and traditional mechanical systems, manufacturers must consider a host of existing standards and emerging industry best practices to address safety at the various levels of driving automation.

ANSI/UL 4600, the standard for safety for the evaluation of autonomous products

UL Solutions’ nonprofit affiliates, UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, partnered with industry experts and innovators to develop and launch UL 4600, which addresses safety principles and processes for evaluating fully autonomous products requiring no human driver supervision. This safety case approach provides the flexibility needed to help ensure safety while supporting the rapid development of the technology.

ISO 26262: Road vehicles – Functional safety

ISO 26262 is the automotive standard applicable to safety-related electrical or electronic (E/E) systems in vehicles. ISO 26262 emphasizes functional safety management in the event of a system failure due to malfunctions or bugs in the E/E system and is a crucial factor in driving automation safety.

ISO 21448: Road vehicles – Safety of the intended functionality

ISO 21448 for the safety of the intended functionality (SOTIF) addresses unintended behavior of systems in absence of ISO 26262 faults. This standard applies to advanced drive assistance and emergency intervention systems. While complementary to ISO 26262, ISO 21448 is a separate standard and can be considered for various levels of automation, as defined by SAE International’s standard, J3016, however additional measures may be necessary to achieve SOTIF for higher levels of automation.

ISO/SAE 21434: Automotive cybersecurity

ISO/SAE 21434 specifies the requirements for cybersecurity risk management for road vehicles including their components and interfaces. ISO 21434 spans the product lifespan, from concept, design, development and production through operation, maintenance and decommissioning and is vital for reducing vulnerability to cyber attack

Autonomous vehicle safety services

UL Solutions offers multiple educational and advisory solutions to help you navigate the complexity of autonomous vehicle safety. We can help you:

• Gain insights on the interpretation and application of relevant safety standards and best practices such as UL 4600, ISO 26262 and ISO 21448
• Understand security protocols related to ISO 21434
• Explore implementing these standards into your development programs
• Develop safety cases in support of autonomous vehicle technologies (conducted by kVA by UL)
• Understand global homologation requirements
• Evaluate end-to-end verification and validation of autonomous vehicles
• Understand operational design domains (ODD)

A trusted guide for autonomous vehicle safety innovation

At UL Solutions, we enable the adoption of innovative automotive technology by helping OEMs and their suppliers navigate the complexity of existing and emerging safety standards and best practices. You can count on us to deliver comprehensive training and guidance to support your success in this transformative time. With our unmatched expertise paired with our global footprint, we can help you bring safer autonomous technologies to the global market.