Simulation-Based Safety Testing of Automated Driving Systems

An Automated Driving System (ADS) must undergo comprehensive safety testing before receiving a road permit. Since it is not clear what exactly constitutes sufficient safety for an ADS, one could assume that an ADS is safe enough if it is at least as safe as a Human Driven Vehicle (HDV). Simulation-based testing is a cost-effective way to check the safety of an ADS. My goal is to develop an approach to compare the safety behavior of ADS and HDV using simulation. This comparison aims to quantify the advantages and disadvantages of ADS compared to HDV. Additionally, I aim to develop a process for selecting specific scenarios that contribute to building trust in the accuracy and reliability of simulation results. This involves defining performance criteria against which the behavior of an ADS in the simulator is compared to that of a HDV. Furthermore, I aim to translate the performance advantages or disadvantages observed in simulated ADS behavior into real-world safety-critical traffic scenarios.