China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has opened public consultation on September 17 for a new mandatory national standard titled “Safety Requirements for Combined Driving Assistance Systems in Intelligent Connected Vehicles.” This regulation aims to fill critical safety gaps in the rapidly expanding market for L2 automated driving systems.
According to MIIT officials quoted by Chinese media Economic Information Daily (EID), the standard will establish comprehensive safety baselines and provide crucial technical foundations for industry access, quality supervision, and incident investigation for these increasingly popular systems.
Combined driving assistance systems, which effectively reduce driving workload and enhance comfort, have become a major selling point for new vehicles in China. Between January and July 2025, sales of passenger vehicles equipped with these systems reached 7.76 million units, representing a year-on-year growth of 21.31%. Market penetration has risen to 62.58%, an increase of 6.5 percentage points compared to the previous year.
While this rapid adoption has injected new momentum into the automotive industry, it has simultaneously introduced significant challenges. MIIT representatives highlighted key concerns including a lack of unified performance standards and risk spillover in marketing and usage.
“Some companies have misused terms like ‘advanced autonomous driving’ and ‘zero takeover’ in their promotions, deliberately blurring the boundaries between ‘driver assistance’ and ‘autonomous driving,’” an MIIT official explained to EID. “This downplays system limitations and has led some drivers to become complacent, engaging in dangerous behaviours such as extended hands-off driving or distracted operation, resulting in fatal accidents that have raised serious public concerns.”
Three-tier safety framework
The new standard establishes a “triple safety guarantee” framework focusing on enhancing product performance, strengthening safety requirements, and standardising system usage. Key provisions include:
- Clear functional performance requirements: The standard strictly defines “design operating conditions” under which systems can be activated. It establishes comprehensive safety technical requirements for different functions (single-lane, multi-lane, navigational assistance) covering human-machine interaction, functional safety, cybersecurity, and data recording. Verification methods include facility testing, road testing, and document inspection.
- Process management requirements: Safety protocols span the entire product lifecycle from development through manufacturing to operation. During development, companies must implement proactive risk assessment measures. Manufacturing stages must ensure production reliability and traceability, while operational phases require dynamic monitoring of vehicle status with mandatory reporting capabilities.
- Standardised system usage guidelines: Systems must include both hand-off detection and gaze monitoring capabilities. When a driver removes their hands from the steering wheel or diverts their attention, the system must issue warnings and, if the driver fails to respond, safely disengage. To prevent misuse, the standard mandates temporary lockouts for drivers who repeatedly allow hands-off operation or demonstrate inattentiveness.
According to China’s national standards, driving automation is classified into six levels from L0 to L5. The new regulations specifically target L2 systems (Combined Driving Assistance), where drivers must remain vigilant, maintain vehicle control, and be prepared to handle any emergencies.
Editor’s comment
In late March this year, three university students tragically lost their lives in a traffic accident whilst driving a Xiaomi SU7 vehicle. The car was reportedly in autonomous driving mode at the time, and there were rumours that the doors could not be opened after the crash. This incident may lead to increased regulatory scrutiny, such as the recent ban on retractable handles and the upcoming regulations concerning autonomous driving.
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