Safeguards For Partial Driving Automation Test Protocol and Rating Guidelines - Version I - March 2024

Sep 29, 2026

This protocol defines test and rating procedures for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Safeguards for partial driving automation vehicle ratings program. The program assesses user safeguards used by vehicles with partial driving automation (Level 2 systems) that support longitudinal control via adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lateral control via sustained lane centering under highway conditions. It specifies test environment, vehicle preparation, instrumentation and documentation, a structured set of driver-monitoring (DMS) and function tests, plus rating categories and weighting principles for overall scores.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

SUMMARY

TEST ENVIRONMENT

TEST VEHICLE PREPARATION

General

Vehicle settings

Instrumentation and equipment

DOCUMENTATION

TESTS

Test trials

Resetting the vehicle

Tests 1a and 1b: DMS camera occlusion

Tests 2a and 2b: DMS driver obscuration

Test 3: DMS eye tracking

Test 4: DMS head tracking

Tests 5a and 5b: DMS hand tracking/monitoring

Test 6: Attention reminders, emergency escalation countermeasures, and lockout confirmation

Test 7: Automated lane change

Tests 8a and 8b: Adaptive cruise control auto-resume

Test 9: Cooperative steering

Tests 10a to 10f: Safety features

RATING GUIDELINES

RATING CATEGORIES

WEIGHTING PRINCIPLES FOR OVERALL RATINGS

REFERENCES

Safeguards For Partial Driving Automation Test Protocol and Rating Guidelines Version I March 2024 Contents SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 3 TEST ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................................ 4 TEST VEHICLE PREPARATION........................................................................................................... 4 General ...................................................................................................................................................... 4 Vehicle settings ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Instrumentation and equipment ................................................................................................................. 5 DOCUMENTATION................................................................................................................................ 10 TESTS ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 Test trials ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Resetting the vehicle ............................................................................................................................... 12 Tests 1a and 1b: DMS camera occlusion ................................................................................................ 13 Tests 2a and 2b: DMS driver obscuration ............................................................................................... 14 Test 3: DMS eye tracking........................................................................................................................ 15 Test 4: DMS head tracking...................................................................................................................... 15 Tests 5a and 5b: DMS hand tracking/monitoring.................................................................................... 16 Test 6: Attention reminders, emergency escalation countermeasures, and lockout confirmation .......... 18 Test 7: Automated lane change ............................................................................................................... 19 Tests 8a and 8b: Adaptive cruise control auto-resume ............................................................................ 19 Test 9: Cooperative steering .................................................................................................................... 21 Tests 10a to 10f: Safety features ............................................................................................................. 23 RATING GUIDELINES .......................................................................................................................... 27 RATING CATEGORIES ......................................................................................................................... 27 Driver monitoring.................................................................................................................................... 27 Attention reminders ................................................................................................................................. 28 Emergency escalation and countermeasures ........................................................................................... 28 Automated lane change ........................................................................................................................... 29 Adaptive cruise control auto-resume ..............

FAQs

What vehicles and capabilities are eligible for this IIHS partial driving automation testing program?

Vehicles are eligible if they can simultaneously support longitudinal control with adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lateral control with sustained lane centering under highway driving conditions.

What core driver-related safeguards are emphasized in the rating principles?

Partially automated systems must ensure the driver’s eyes are directed at the road and the driver’s hands are on the steering wheel or ready to grab it, with escalating alerts and appropriate emergency procedures when those conditions are not met.

How are automated lane change and adaptive cruise control auto-resume handled in the protocol?

Automated lane changes must be initiated or confirmed by the driver, and the protocol includes specific tests for adaptive cruise control auto-resume behavior.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Danger Angel