Germany: Road Traffic Act provisions on motor vehicles with autonomous driving functions in defined operating areas (StVG §§ 1d to 1l) and the Autonomous Vehicles Approval and Operation Ordinance (AFGBV)
A vehicle may drive itself without a driver only in an approved operating area, with a Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt operating permit, and it must reach a minimal-risk state at its system limits, on faults, at the edge of the area or on loss of a protected radio link, refuse unsafe manoeuvres ordered by its remote technical supervisor, and be deactivatable at any time by that supervisor or the occupants. The keeper must record data on supervisor interventions, near-accidents, evasive manoeuvres and malfunctions, and the manufacturer must protect the vehicle's electronic architecture and radio links against attack and file a safety and IT-security concept under the AFGBV.
Scope. Reaches a US company that, as manufacturer (Hersteller), seeks a Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt operating permit for a vehicle with an autonomous driving function in Germany, or that operates one there as keeper (Halter) or technical supervisor.
Draft mapping. Drafted by the Register's agents from the rule's text and not yet confirmed by a person. It is the Register's reading, not legal advice: whether and how the rule applies to you is a question for counsel.
Controls this rule maps to
Required by the text The rule's text requires a measure that is this control, or plainly includes it. Implied A binding rule whose purpose needs this control, but whose text does not name it. The Register's reading. Recommended A voluntary standard or guidance recommends it; nothing binds you to it. Proposed Appears in a proposed rule or proposed provision that is not yet in force.
| Control | Strength | Where in the rule, and why | Confidence | Missing or failed in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent assurance before deployment C-O2 | Required by the text | StVG § 1e Abs. 1 Nr. 2 (original: 'für das Kraftfahrzeug eine Betriebserlaubnis nach Absatz 4 oder eine Typgenehmigung nach der Durchführungsverordnung (EU) 2022/1426 ... erteilt worden ist') — translation: operation is permitted only if an operating permit under para. 4, or an EU type-approval under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1426, has been granted; AFGBV § 12 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 Buchst. c (original: 'die Sicherheit gegenüber dem Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt nach den Anforderungen nach Anlage 1 Nummer 10 nachzuweisen') — translation: demonstrate safety to the Federal Motor Transport Authority. | high | 1 case |
| Hard domain restriction C-E2 | Required by the text | StVG § 1d Abs. 1 Nr. 1 and Abs. 2; § 1e Abs. 1 Nr. 3; AFGBV § 7 Abs. 1 (original: 'dürfen im öffentlichen Straßenraum nur in einem nach Absatz 2 festgelegten und genehmigten Betriebsbereich ... betrieben werden') — translation: may be operated on public roads only in an operating area defined and approved under para. 2. | high | 4 cases |
| Automated fail-safe C-R2 | Required by the text | StVG § 1e Abs. 2 Nr. 7 and Nr. 10. | high | 2 cases |
| Kill switch faster than the actor C-X2 | Required by the text | StVG § 1e Abs. 2 Nr. 8 (original: 'jederzeit durch die Technische Aufsicht oder durch Fahrzeuginsassen deaktiviert zu werden') and § 1f Abs. 2 Nr. 2. | high | 2 cases |
| Pre-execution validation C-D1 | Required by the text | StVG § 1e Abs. 2 Nr. 5. | high | 4 cases |
| Warnings designed as alerts C-I4 | Required by the text | StVG § 1e Abs. 2 Nr. 6 (original: 'eine Beeinträchtigung ihrer Funktionalität der Technischen Aufsicht unverzüglich anzuzeigen') and Nr. 9 (original: 'Signale zum eigenen Funktionsstatus optisch, akustisch oder sonst wahrnehmbar anzuzeigen') — translation: report impairment to the technical supervisor without delay and display status signals perceptibly; § 1f Abs. 2 Nr. 3: the supervisor must evaluate those signals and initiate traffic-safety measures. | high | 4 cases |
| Human takeover with a time window C-R3 | Implied | StVG § 1e Abs. 2 Nr. 9 (original: 'der Technischen Aufsicht das Erfordernis ... der Deaktivierung mit ausreichender Zeitreserve ... anzuzeigen') — translation: signal to the technical supervisor the need for deactivation with sufficient time reserve; § 1f Abs. 2 Nr. 1 (assess and release alternative manoeuvres) and Nr. 4 (contact occupants without delay after a minimal-risk state). The supervisor releases manoeuvres but does not drive; no fixed time window. | medium | 2 cases |
| Independent audit log C-V1 | Implied | StVG § 1g Abs. 1 and Abs. 2; § 1g Abs. 3: the manufacturer must equip the vehicle so that storage is actually possible for the keeper. | high | 1 case |
| Actor identity verification C-A1 | Implied | StVG § 1e Abs. 2 Nr. 10 (original: 'vor unautorisierten Eingriffen geschützte Funkverbindungen'); § 1f Abs. 3 Nr. 1 (original: 'dass die elektronische und elektrische Architektur ... vor Angriffen gesichert ist') and Nr. 3 (sufficiently secure radio link); AFGBV § 12 Abs. 1 Nr. 3 (IT-security concept under Anlage 1 Nr. 15). | medium | 8 cases |
| Organizational recovery process C-R4 | Implied | AFGBV § 6 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 5 (revocation where 'eine Gefährdung von Leib oder Leben von Personen nicht auszuschließen ist') and § 6 Abs. 2 (suspension pending clarification); StVG § 1f Abs. 3 Nr. 6 (original: 'sobald er Manipulationen ... erkennt ... diese unverzüglich dem Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt ... mitzuteilen und erforderliche Maßnahmen einzuleiten') — translation: on detecting manipulation, the manufacturer must notify the Federal Motor Transport Authority without delay and initiate necessary measures. Now read in full, not from a summary. | medium | 1 case |
| Mandate disclosed to supervisor C-M1 | Implied | StVG § 1f Abs. 3 Nr. 4 (declaration to the Federal Motor Transport Authority and in the operating manual) and Nr. 5 (training for persons involved in operation). | medium | 1 case |
| Reporting integrity C-V2 | Required by the text | StVG § 1f Abs. 3 Nr. 6 (original: 'Manipulationen am Kraftfahrzeug ... insbesondere bei einem unerlaubten Zugriff auf die Funkverbindungen des Kraftfahrzeugs, diese unverzüglich dem Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt und der ... zuständigen Behörde ... mitzuteilen') — translation: the manufacturer must report detected manipulation, in particular unauthorised access to the radio links, without delay to the Federal Motor Transport Authority and the competent authority. | medium | 1 case |