The document describes WP.29’s approach to regulating Driver Control Assistance Systems and Automated Driving Systems. It outlines safety management system requirements including safety policy, risk management, assurance and promotion; safety case requirements for structured documentation demonstrating ADS compliance and freedom from unreasonable risk; and safety concept requirements for risk identification, hazard analysis, ODD compatibility and occupant protection. Testing and verification encompasses virtual testing using simulation toolchains, track testing and real-world testing. Virtual toolchain validation establishes credibility before use. In-service monitoring and reporting requires manufacturers to monitor ADS performance post-deployment and report significant incidents to authorities.
Presentation on the complementary roles of Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs) and Human Body Models (HBMs) in frontal impact assessment. ATDs provide standardized physical evidence at defined reference conditions based on fixed anthropometries, while HBMs can represent population variability through morphable anthropometry. HBMs extend assessment to human and crash variability that standardized ATD tests cannot practically cover, including occupant size variants, seat positions, postures, and crash severities. Neither tool is a universal substitute for the other; complementary capabilities improve robustness and confidence in real-world occupant protection performance.
Presentation on human body models (HBMs) for virtual testing, addressing their advantages over anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) in assessing occupant diversity, body regions, and injury criteria. Discusses challenges including harmonization of anthropometry and posture, biofidelity qualification variability, and injury assessment methodology. Proposes stepwise implementation with minimum harmonization requirements and development of HBM-specific injury risk curves for consistent application across different anthropometries.
Results from a workshop on frontal impact robustness held in Tokyo, Japan on 4-6 November 2026. The workshop established a robustness concept: the vehicle’s ability to ensure effective protection for occupants across a representative range of characteristics (taking into account variations such as differences in shape, sex, weight and age), in relevant vehicle settings, and in representative real-world collisions (up to current regulatory severity levels). Human Body Models (HBMs) are noted as a promising complementary tool for evaluating robustness alongside ATD testing. The workshop ranked injury types by priority, including brain injuries, submarining, neck, chest, abdomen, lower extremities, and rear seat row protection. An action plan was developed to address brain injuries, submarining, rear seat row assessment, and robustness assessment methodology.
Workshop participants agreed on a concept of robustness as the vehicle’s ability to ensure effective protection for occupants across a representative range of characteristics including variations in body shape, sex, weight and age in relevant vehicle settings and in representative real-world collisions up to current regulatory severity levels. Current regulations can identify clearly inferior systems but do not encourage robustness as defined.
Workshop on equitable occupant protection addressing frontal impact safety. The document summarizes consensus from the 2025 Graz workshop on equity issues in frontal crashes, including higher injury risks for females in lower-speed crashes and at specific injury severity levels, age-dependent fatality risk variations, and injury pattern differences across body regions. Hypotheses for equity issues include occupant physiological characteristics, seatbelt and seat interaction, airbag interaction, and varying injury tolerances with age and sex. The Tokyo workshop aims to develop conceptual ideas for assessing robustness of occupant protection across human and crash-condition variability, define robustness, identify regulatory concepts to address equity issues, establish a roadmap of regulatory solutions, and create an action plan for highest-priority issues.
The workshop on frontal impact assessment in Tokyo, 4-6 November 2026, will address robustness, defined as the vehicle’s ability to protect occupants of varying body height, weight, shape, and seating position in real-world relevant collisions by maintaining structural integrity and effective safety systems so that the risk of injury is minimized for all types of people. The agenda includes review of relevant regulations, clarification of roles of ATDs and HBMs, and conceptual ideas for future regulatory upgrades addressing brain injury, soft tissue neck injury, lower leg injury, thorax injury, submarining, abdominal loading, and lower severity collisions. The workshop will develop an HBM-based robustness assessment matrix to complement current ATD-based requirements.
Proposal to amend para. 2.12. to clarify the definition of power-operated windows, renumber para. 5.8.4.2. as 5.8.4.3., insert new para. 5.8.4.2. requiring window controls of power-operated side windows adjacent to the front seat row to be within reach and directly accessible, insert new paras. 5.8.8., 5.8.8.1., and 5.8.8.2. requiring power-operated side windows of the front seat row to remain operable in the opening direction for at least 2 minutes during vehicle submergence or automatically open within 30 seconds, with windows opening to maximum extent permitted, and insert new Annex 11 specifying submergence test procedures including container-based tests, slope-entry tests, and alternative subsystem tests.
Global Technical Regulation