ITS UK and British Standards Institution to set UK’s CAV standardsf

ITS UK is working with the British Standards Institution (BSI) to formulate and agree standards that connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) should adhere to, in order help deliver safety and interoperability for all road users.

The BSI asked ITS UK for help in identifying two priority areas for UK standardization work on connected and automated vehicles and then produce a set of recommendations from ITS UK to the Centre for Connected and Automated Vehicles (CCAV) and the BSI.

The first meeting was led by Andy Graham from White Willow Consulting, and leading consultant Jonathan Harrod Booth. Attendees included Amey, Arup, Dynniq, Highways England, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), Transport for London (TfL), Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), and the University of Southampton, who discussed with the BSI what standards should be considered for connected and automated vehicles and in which areas ITS UK members could contribute.

After a very interesting and lively discussion that considered ten different aspects, the group agreed on two which it felt they were best placed to influence: virtual testing for certification and validation prior to deployment; and the minimum safety-related information a CAV should record post-incident. The group will now meet virtually to come up with initial recommendations as part of an ongoing dialog, and it is expected to deliver its initial recommendations in the early autumn.

“Standardization is a very important part of the technological development of connected vehicles and, in the future, no doubt autonomous ones as well,” commented Andy Graham, the ITS UK Connected Vehicles Group chairman. “We are delighted to share our expertise with the BSI to ensure the standards deliver safe solutions which are also realistic and achievable.”

ITS UK’s secretary general, Jennie Martin, added, “This work is clearly vital to the development of the technology, and ITS UK members are ideally placed to offer their advice and expertise. This is yet another example of how ITS UK delivers real benefit to the industry in general, and its members in particular.”