Proposal to distinguish optional early information from mandatory warning thresholds by allowing optional soft information at Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) levels 6–7 and requiring mandatory hard warnings at KSS 8 or above. The proposal sets one mandatory threshold for warning classification and performance criteria, allowing visual advisory messages with limited audible tone at KSS 6–7 without driver acknowledgement required, and requiring clear visual indicators, audible warnings with minimum duration and volume, and haptic escalation at KSS 8 or above. Hard warnings would be subject to validation testing for sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value classification.
Presentation on proposal 6 summarising enhancements to DDAW system test methodology. Proposes setting clearer requirements for participant selection, pre-conditioning, repeated testing of each participant, continuation of testing after the first true positive warning, and capture and treatment of near-crash events. Addresses existing limitations including narrow participant coverage, limited lighting conditions, testing that ends after the first true positive, and exclusion of false negatives during learning phases. Proposes mandatory methodology for representative evidence including minimum test runs per participant, broader demographic and physical characteristic representation, fatigued and rested participant preparation, near-crash event capture, and shorter learning periods. Notes the interconnectedness to other 01 series proposals including drowsiness threshold, false negative classification, operating conditions, and performance metrics.
Presentation summarising proposal 5 on drowsiness warnings acknowledgement. The 00 series permits warnings to cascade and intensify until driver acknowledgement but does not clearly prescribe acceptable driver actions or subsequent system response. Acknowledgement does not remove drowsiness risk. Proposal seeks to define acceptable acknowledgement actions, require continuous monitoring after acknowledgement, and mandate renewed warnings when safety conditions persist or return within a maximum time-period. Microsleep warnings must not be muted through acknowledgement of drowsiness warnings.
Proposal to expand minimum operating conditions for driver drowsiness and attention warning systems to include roads with absent or significantly faded lane markings requiring road-edge detection capability, strong direct light directed towards driver-facing and road-facing sensors, and cabin temperature and humidity conditions prone to causing camera fogging. The proposal applies technology-neutral consolidated performance requirements rather than distinguishing between direct and indirect system means. Data from Australian and Great Britain road networks show that the majority of road fatalities occur in rural areas on roads often unmarked or with degraded markings, and road-edge detection is already technically available and demonstrated by vehicles tested under ANCAP protocols.
Proposal to develop a mandatory, testable microsleep detection and warning capability for the 01 series. Microsleep is a brief loss of consciousness indicated by 1–3 second eye closure that presents an immediate and significant road safety risk. The system should detect eye closure over time, use supporting cues such as neck droop or body slump to confirm events, and provide a dedicated and appropriately forceful warning strategy. Detection logic may use primary criteria such as >95% eye closure for >2.5 seconds or combined criteria such as >85% eye closure for >1.8 seconds plus neck droop or body slump. Testing pathways include controlled simulation with deliberate eye-closure events and fatigued-driver testing to observe genuine microsleep events.
Presentation on maintaining effective drowsiness monitoring when Driver Control Assistance System (DCAS) is active. A DDAW system using indirect means cannot effectively assess driver drowsiness when the driver is not nominally required to steer, brake, or accelerate. Hands-on or eyes-on engagement does not establish alertness. Either the DDAW system or an alternate system should meet prescribed DDAW system performance while DCAS is active, with no gap in coverage or performance. UN R171 02 series amendments do not prescribe DDAW-equivalent performance criteria for drowsiness determination.
Summary of research findings from DDADWS meetings 8 and 9 concerning driver drowsiness detection and warning systems. Topics covered include fatigue contributing to 15–30% of road crashes, the safety-critical nature of KSS levels 8 and 9, distinguishing drowsiness from microsleep events, eye-closure behaviour as a practical detection tool with 2-second minimum duration criteria removing 85% of false positives while preserving 90% of true positives, KSS as a validation reference measure, testing environments including simulators and on-road conditions, system performance metrics, observable signs of drowsy driving including lane deviations and ocular indicators, participant demographics and state, ensuring valid drowsiness testing, warning effectiveness and escalation strategies, and evidence-based design factors for drowsiness warnings.
The Task Force reviewed and approved regulatory amendments for ADS-equipped vehicles across multiple UN Regulations. Key decisions included adopting a simplified and consistent definition of ‘vehicle user’ for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, retaining original wording for warning signal transmission to ADS systems, and amending engine torque terminology under UN R49. Amendments were reviewed for UN R49, UN R83, UN R115, UN R154, UN R177, UN R179, and UN R180, with focus on consistency regarding ADS testing modes and an additional 25 kg mass allowance for vehicles of categories X and Y. The Task Force acknowledged that ADS operation may result in additional energy consumption not fully reflected in current testing procedures and agreed to seek GRPE guidance on possible future work.