China Raises Safety Bar for Level 3 Autonomous Cars

China has released draft safety rules for vehicles with Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities, raising stricter requirements that would compel smart cars to pull over if human drivers fail to take control.

Under the draft rules issued Thursday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, if the human driver does not respond to the takeover request, the Level 3 system must execute a “minimal risk strategy,” which can autonomously move the car to a place that does not hinder traffic and bring it to a stop, minimizing danger to passengers and other road users.