Defining Safe Level 2 & Level 3 Vehicles

SAE J3016 defines vehicle automation levels, but is not a safety standard (nor does it claim to be). Levels 2 & 3 are especially problematic from a safety point of view. What they define if the standard is followed -- and no more -- is unlikely to provide acceptable safety in practice. To be clear: a vehicle said to be SAE Level 2 or SAE Level 3 might be safe. But if it only does the bare minimum required for J3016 conformance, it is unlikely to be safe. More is needed. (For more on the specifics of SAE J3016 Levels see this user guide (link) including a detailed discussion of what is and is not required by the SAE Levels.) SAE Level 2 safety SAE Level 2 requires that the driver be responsible for the Object and Event Detection and Response (OEDR). The driving automation might or might not see some objects, and might or might not respond properly, thus requiring continuous driver vigilance. However, it is well known that human drivers do poorly at supervising automation. Paradoxi