What’s Happening: Waymo has published a new paper detailing its approach to creating a reliable safety case for autonomous vehicle (AV) operations. The paper outlines a thorough blueprint to be used by any company developing fully autonomous driving systems.
Why It Matters: The safety case-based approach aims to provide regulators with a clear understanding of how companies determine their AV systems are safe for deployment on public roads without a human driver. Establishing credibility and aligning on evaluation criteria are crucial to developing a worthwhile safety case. Waymo’s new toolkit aims to guide the industry towards an agreed-upon standard for measuring AV safety.
Key Points:
- A safety case involves an explanation of the AV system, its development methodologies, validation metrics, and the results of validation tests.
- The approach described in the paper builds upon Waymo’s 2020 safety framework and incorporates external best practices for safety cases and assurance.
- The paper presents a layered, dynamic, and credible approach to safety, emphasizing ongoing assessments of risks and readiness.
- Waymo’s Case Credibility Assessment (CCA) helps systematically structure the argumentation for safety and credibility of evidence.
Bottom Line: Waymo’s new safety case framework demonstrates the company’s commitment to transparency and collaboration in the AV industry. By sharing its approach and encouraging the adoption of aligned safety case criteria, Waymo hopes to contribute to the widespread acceptance and adoption of AV technology. The framework aims to provide a solid foundation for regulatory bodies, standards organizations, and the autonomous mobility industry as a whole.
