Minimal risk condition

This term is part of the following categories: Safety and Activity / Process.

Version: 5.0, Release date: April 2023

Definition: Stable, stopped condition to which a human driver or automated driving system brings a vehicle after performing a minimal risk manoeuvre in order to reduce the risk of a collision or other loss when a given trip cannot be continued.

NOTE 1 Examples of reasons for which a trip cannot be completed include mechanical breakdown, automated driving system failure, departure from the operational design domain for an automated driving system or failure of the human driver to respond to a request to resume the full function of the dynamic driving task.

NOTE 2 The form of the MRC will be highly dependent on the operational design domain of the automated vehicle and the reason for which the MRC was required. For example, the MRC for an automated vehicle on a highway with a minor sensor fault may be to manoeuvre to the hard shoulder, decelerate gently to a stop and activate the hazard warning lights; the MRC for a low speed automated shuttle operating in an urban environment with a damaged forward lidar system might be to come to an immediate halt.

NOTE 3 This definition includes a remotely operated vehicle in a stable, stopped condition after the minimal risk manoeuvre.

Previous versions:

Version: 4.0, Release date: March 2022

Definition: Stable, stopped condition to which a human driver or automated driving system brings a vehicle after performing the dynamic driving task fallback in order to reduce the risk of a collision or other loss when a given trip cannot be continued.

NOTE 1 Examples of reasons for which a trip cannot be completed include mechanical breakdown, automated driving system failure, departure from the operational design domain for an automated driving system or failure of the human driver to respond to a request to resume the full function of the dynamic driving task.

NOTE 2 The form of the MRC is highly dependent on the operational design domain  of the automated vehicle and the reason for which the MRC was required. For example, the MRC for an automated vehicle on a highway with a minor sensor fault might be to manoeuvre to the hard shoulder, decelerate gently to a stop and activate the hazard warning lights; the MRC for a low speed automated shuttle operating in an urban environment with a damaged forward lidar system might be to come to an immediate halt.

Version: 3.0, Release date: October 2020

Definition: Stable, stopped condition to which a human driver or automated driving system brings a vehicle after performing the dynamic driving task fallback in order to reduce the risk of a crash when a given trip cannot be continued.

NOTE 1: Examples of reasons for which a trip cannot be completed include mechanical breakdown, automated driving system failure, departure from the operational design domain for an automated driving system or failure of the human driver to respond to a request to resume the full function of the dynamic driving task.

NOTE 2: The form of the MRC will be highly dependent on the operational design domain of the automated vehicle and the reason for which the MRC was required. For example, the MRC for an automated vehicle on a highway with a minor sensor fault may be to manoeuvre to the hard shoulder, decelerate gently to a stop and activate the hazard warning lights; the MRC for a low speed automated shuttle operating in an urban environment with a damaged forward lidar system might be to come to an immediate halt.

Version: 2.0, Release date: June 2020

Definition: Stable, stopped condition to which a human driver or automated driving system brings a vehicle after performing the dynamic driving task fallback in order to reduce the risk of a crash when a given trip cannot be completed.

NOTE: Examples of reasons for which a trip cannot be completed include mechanical breakdown, automated driving system failure, departure from the operational design domain for an automated driving system or failure of the human driver to respond to a request to resume the full function of the dynamic driving task.

Version: 1.0, Release date: January 2020

Definition: State to which a human driver or an automated driving system can bring a vehicle in which the likelihood of a collision is minimised when a trip can not be completed.

NOTE: Examples of reasons for which a trip can not be completed include mechanical breakdown, automated driving system failure, departure from the operational design domain for an automated driving system or failure of the human driver to respond to a request to resume responsibility for the dynamic driving task.