China Issues First Mandatory National Standard for L2 ADAS, Effective 2027

On July 2, 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) officially released the *Safety Requirements for Combined Driving Assistance Systems in Intelligent Connected Vehicles* (GB 47955–2026). This standard marks China’s first mandatory national standard specifically targeting Level 2 (L2) driving assistance systems and is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. The standard applies to combined driving assistance systems that provide continuous and simultaneous lateral and longitudinal vehicle control—commonly known as L2 systems—and explicitly classifies them as driver assistance technologies, emphasizing that drivers remain legally responsible for vehicle operation. It sets comprehensive requirements covering functional safety, human-machine interaction, data recording, manufacturer safeguards, and testing and evaluation. Based on product configurations, the standard categorizes these systems into three types: basic single-lane, basic multi-lane, and navigation-guided driving assistance, each with tailored safety performance criteria. The standard mandates that systems include driver status monitoring capabilities, specifically detecting hands-off-the-wheel and eyes-off-the-road conditions. If both hands are removed from the steering wheel for five seconds, the system must issue an alert; if the driver fails to respond, the alert escalates progressively. Similarly, if the driver’s gaze deviates from the road for five seconds, a prompt to refocus is issued; after three additional seconds without correction, the alert intensifies, and if vision remains off the road for another five seconds, an “immediate control warning” is triggered. If the driver still does not resume control within 10 seconds of this final warning, the system must activate a risk-mitigation function to safely bring the vehicle to a stop. Furthermore, the standard stipulates that the driving assistance function must be disabled for 30 minutes under any of the following four scenarios: (1) one activation of the risk-mitigation function; (2) continuous issuance of an escalated alert for 10 seconds in systems lacking risk-mitigation capability; (3) two occurrences of escalated “eyes-off” warnings; or (4) three cumulative escalated alerts within any 30-minute period. As of 2026, passenger vehicles equipped with combined driving assistance features account for 70% of new car sales in China, with over 30% offering navigation-guided assistance capabilities. The introduction of this mandatory national standard aims to establish a baseline for safety and promote orderly industry development. Concurrently, in June 2024, MIIT published the draft approval version of the *Safety Requirements for Automated Driving Systems in Intelligent Connected Vehicles*, China’s first mandatory national standard targeting Level 3 (L3) and Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving systems, slated for implementation in July 2027. This standard clarifies that L3 systems may allow hands-off, feet-off, and eyes-off operation under specific conditions, provided their safety performance is no lower than that of a competent and attentive human driver. It also requires the system to request driver takeover at least 10 seconds in advance. If the driver fails to respond, the system must execute a minimal-risk maneuver to bring the vehicle to a safe stop. Additionally, the standard introduces a safety case mechanism, requiring manufacturers to substantiate system safety through a structured “claim–argument–evidence” framework and to integrate simulation, closed-course, and on-road testing into a closed-loop validation system.