ISO TR 21959-2-2020 PDF

Full title and description

St ISO TR 21959-2-2020 — Road vehicles — Human performance and state in the context of automated driving — Part 2: Considerations in designing experiments to investigate transition processes. This technical report provides guidance for designing human‑factors experiments that investigate transitions from higher to lower levels of automated driving (takeover/transition processes) and identifies human and system factors, scenario design considerations, common performance measures and test‑environment choices to improve comparability across studies.

Abstract

This technical report focuses on system‑initiated and human‑initiated transitions from higher to lower levels of driving automation and on the human and system factors that influence takeover performance. It gives recommendations on setting and controlling variables, on test scenario design, on common measures for human takeover performance and on selecting an appropriate testing environment so that experiments are consistent and results comparable across studies.

General information

• Status: Published
• Publication date: 28 February 2020 (Edition 1, 2020-02)
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• ICS / categories: 43.020 (Road vehicles)
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2020)
• Number of pages: 44

Key bibliographic and life‑cycle metadata as published by ISO.

Scope

Provides guidance for designing experiments aimed at investigating transition (takeover) processes from automated driving to manual control. The report addresses both system‑initiated and human‑initiated transitions, identifies human‑factor and system‑factor variables that influence takeover performance, and offers considerations for test scenario design, outcome measures for takeover performance, and the choice of testing environment (simulator, closed track, on‑road). The goal is to support consistent, comparable research and testing practices.

Key topics and requirements

• Definitions and models of transition processes (system‑initiated and human‑initiated).
• Identification of human factors that affect takeover (attention, cognitive workload, state, readiness, non‑driving related tasks).
• System factors and design choices that influence transitions (type and timing of requests to intervene, automation behaviour during transition).
• Recommendations for experimental variable control and selection to enable valid comparisons across studies.
• Test scenario design considerations (criticality, timing, cueing, environmental conditions).
• Recommended common measures and metrics for takeover performance (timing markers, behavioural measures, subjective ratings).
• Guidance on choosing an appropriate test environment (simulator fidelity, test track, public roads) and associated trade‑offs.

Typical use and users

Used by human‑factors researchers, academic groups, automotive OEMs and suppliers, ADAS/ADS system designers, test laboratories, regulatory and standardization bodies, and safety assessors who design experiments or validation programs to study driver behaviour and takeover performance in systems that require transitions between automated and manual control.

Related standards

ISO/TR 21959-2 is part of the ISO/TR 21959 series addressing human performance and state in automated driving; the companion document ISO/TR 21959-1 (Common underlying concepts) provides foundational definitions and concepts and is directly related. Other commonly referenced automotive standards and taxonomies used alongside human‑factors work include ISO 26262 (functional safety) and SAE J3016 (levels of driving automation), which provide complementary frameworks for safety and automation classification.

Keywords

automated driving, takeover, transition process, human factors, takeover performance, experiment design, test scenario, simulator, ADAS, ADS, driver readiness

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: It is a technical report (ISO/TR 21959-2:2020) that gives guidance on designing experiments to investigate transitions from automated to manual driving control (takeover processes).

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers system‑ and human‑initiated transitions, human and system factors that influence takeover performance, recommendations for setting experimental variables, test scenario design, common measures for takeover performance, and considerations for selecting the testing environment.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Human‑factors researchers, automotive engineers, OEMs and suppliers, test labs, safety assessors, and regulators involved in ADAS/ADS testing and validation use this report to design and interpret takeover experiments.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO/TR 21959-2:2020 was published in February 2020 (Edition 1) and is published status per ISO. Users should check the ISO catalogue or their national standards body for any subsequent confirmations, revisions or withdrawals.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is part of the ISO/TR 21959 series addressing human performance and state in the context of automated driving; ISO/TR 21959-1 covers common underlying concepts and is the principal companion document.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: automated driving, takeover, transition, human factors, experiment design, takeover performance, ADAS/ADS.