White Paper: Vehicle Compliance

Introduction

The United Kingdom has a comprehensive commercial vehicle testing and safety assessment system to ensure that vehicles are properly maintained and operated safely.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is the government agency responsible for regulating driving standards and vehicle safety for commercial drivers and goods vehicles in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, the governing body is the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA).

Responsible for driving tests, approving driving instructors and MOT testers and monitoring vehicle recalls. Independent of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the DVSA ensures the safety of lorries and buses, carries out tests and roadside checks on drivers and vehicles, and monitors vehicle recalls.

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) is also responsible for certifying and monitoring the safety of all motor vehicles and approving new designs and modifications. VCA also develops and maintains the UK's legal requirements for vehicle safety and is responsible for implementing the UNECE Regulations in harmony with vehicle regulations worldwide.

Additionally, DVSA regulates the driving standards and vehicle safety of commercial vehicles and goods vehicles, including setting and enforcing driver and vehicle safety standards and carrying out roadside checks.

Background

On 28 April 2021, the Department for Transport announced that motorists could see self-driving vehicles on British roads for the first time in 2025.

The government set out how vehicles fitted with Automated Lane Keeping System (ALKS) technology could legally be defined as self-driving, as long as the vehicle receives GB-type approval and has no evidence to challenge its ability to self-drive.

Self-driving vehicles are becoming increasingly prominent in markets across the globe. By 2035, an estimated 40% of new cars in the UK will have self-driving capabilities.

This technology could radically alter road travel, potentially reducing collisions and improving access to delivery and passenger services. However, integrating self-driving vehicles onto our roads is only beginning. It is essential to ensure appropriate rules and training are in place to manage the changes they will bring.

New safety measures, such as scenario generation techniques, sensor technology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), is being developed to ensure we realise the benefits of self-driving vehicles. These technologies enable vehicles to perceive their environment in ways that human drivers never could, allowing them to react quickly and remain consistently able to assess how to drive safely.

Purpose of this White Paper

As the development and deployment of self-driving commercial vehicles progress, the need for thorough and robust compliance testing becomes increasingly important. Zengi Limited has identified automation of compliance testing as an essential and integral part of vehicle testing and assessment to ensure the safety of those on the road.

Automated compliance testing is necessary to ensure standards and regulations set by the governing bodies for the safe and reliable development of autonomous vehicles.

Automated compliance testing can also provide insight into the efficacy of autonomous vehicle designs and systems, facilitating further refinement and development.

This white paper outlines how Zengi Limited is developing an AI-powered system to automate vehicle compliance testing and assessment. Currently, driver vehicle safety checks ensure a commercial vehicle can safely navigate the roads and appropriately interact with other road users.

Driver vehicle safety checks involve the inspection of the exterior, interior, and all systems to ensure that they are in proper working order and that all safety measures are in place. Additionally, these safety checks assure the driver is aware of any potential safety concerns or issues that may arise while driving and the driver can appropriately respond to such situations.

The need for such a system will increase as driver's checks gradually reduce due to the introduction of self-driving vehicles.

Today, governing bodies such as the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are tasked with keeping road users safe. It carries out driving tests, approves people to be driving instructors and MOT testers, carries out tests to make sure lorries and buses are safe to drive, carries out roadside checks on drivers and vehicles, and monitors vehicle recalls.

However, based on the DVSA statistics¹ a significant number of vehicles on UK roads do not meet the necessary road safety standards. This will only be exacerbated by the introduction of autonomous vehicles, in 2025.

The ability of organisations such as the DVSA, police and transport operators to consistently manage and maintain their vehicles in a compliant way is paramount to the public adopting autonomous vehicles on the public road network.

Automation of Vehicle Compliance Testing and Assessment for Internal Combustion Engine and Autonomous Vehicles

Zengi Limited is developing a revolutionary new AI-powered solution for the Automation of Vehicle Compliance Testing and Assessment for today's Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and tomorrow's Autonomous Vehicles.

Our cutting-edge technology streamlines the current manual compliance testing process, accuracy and safety, manual overheads and human errors due to complacency. By leveraging the power of AI and Machine Learning (ML), our solution can analyse and assess vehicles quickly and increasingly more accurately, ensuring vehicles meet all required safety and performance requirements currently carried out by drivers during their daily checks.

It can also identify potential issues and suggest appropriate solutions. With our technology, organisations can make informed decisions regarding their vehicle safety and ensure compliance with all applicable regulations and standards.

Zengi Limited is committed to providing a solution that will revolutionise the road transportation industry and improve the safety and performance of vehicles.

Overview of Vehicle Compliance Testing and Assessment

In the UK, all commercial drivers must perform a daily safety check before using their vehicles. This 24-point check ensures vehicles are safe and fit for purpose and that the driver is qualified to drive.

During the checks, there are nine in-cab checks and fifteen around the vehicle, including lights, brakes, oil and tyre pressure and appropriate documentation. The daily vehicle check is a critical part of road safety measures helping to ensure that vehicles and drivers meet the necessary safety standards.

After checking the latest public record statistics for Great Britain, the top 10 reasons for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) failures, as reported at the beginning of 2023, were; the aim of headlamps, lamps, brake systems and components, service brake performance, steering, suspension, condition of tyres, parking brake performance, exhaust emissions and speedometer/tachograph.

While most of these are not attributable to commercial driver complacency, they highlight existing issues, despite daily checks taking place.

Other statistics for light trailers indicate between 2019 and 2021, the DVSA checked 3,813 non-testable trailers, of which 730 were caravans. The results showed a disparity between the compliance of trailers and caravans. Fifty per cent of trailers were non-compliant, and 41% received an immediate prohibition.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Automation

• Advantages ~ Automatically testing and assessing vehicles for road safety compliance can provide many benefits, including saving time, providing more accuracy, consistency and better monitoring of the performance of vehicles over time. These advantages help identify any potential problems before they become catastrophic issues.
• Disadvantages ~ Automatically testing and assessing vehicles for road safety compliance comes at a cost. Automated systems can be expensive to purchase, install, and maintain. Additionally, these systems may require frequent updates to ensure they remain accurate and up-to-date with the latest regulations and safety standards.
• Challenges ~ Automated systems must provide robust testing and assessment and detect all types of defects, including those caused by wear and tear or improper maintenance. Additionally, the systems must be secure and reliable to avoid being susceptible to malicious activities and potentially compromising road safety.

Testing and Assessment Process

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is responsible for testing and assessing vehicles for road safety compliance in the UK.

Methods and Tools

The DVSA testing and assessing vehicles for road safety compliance begins with a Vehicle Safety Inspection, which involves a thorough visual and mechanical inspection to check for any signs of wear and tear or modification that may compromise safety.

Only Authorised Testing Centres or the DVSA can test and assess vehicles for compliance.

The DVSA also uses various tests to assess vehicle performance, including; visual and mechanical inspections, brake tests, emissions tests, roadworthiness tests, computer-based diagnostic systems, fault detection systems, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems, vehicle identification systems and odometer checks.

• Certificate of Roadworthiness ~ issued to vehicles that pass their annual tests.
• Advisory Notices ~ outline minor vehicle issues.
• Prohibitions & fines ~ for test failures. 

Challenges of Development

Achieving the full potential of self-driving vehicles will only happen if we adapt to guarantee safety on public roads. The government is creating a new safety framework for self-driving vehicles to meet the needs of society and industry.

Zengi's Automated Testing & Assessment (ZATA) will adhere to a high-level safety for current ICE and the ambitions for self-driving vehicles. To achieve the necessary standards, we are developing several core system components.

1. A drive-through gantries
2. 3rd Party Modules
3. Secure Electronic Data Interchange
4. AI / ML Platform
5. Regulatory Standards Framework

We intend to create a state-owned network of systems to determine if commercial or private vehicles are roadworthy or allowed to drive autonomously in certain circumstances or situations.

The system will include determining the organisation or individual responsible for the vehicle, or where no manual driver is present, the responsible operator with appropriate licenses to manage the vehicle's operation.

Dependent on the level of adoption required by the governing and regulatory bodies, the system will provide in-use regulation and issue sanctions.

Benefits of the ZATA approach

Our solution provides a comprehensive package for assessing road vehicle safety, performance, and maintenance.

The system includes;

• A drive-through gantry for external visual inspections
• 3rd Party Modules for interoperability with rolling road equipment, weighbridges, emissions testing equipment, and vehicle diagnostics equipment.
• A Secure Electronic Data Interchange allows the collection/aggregation of remote sensor and equipment data.
• An AI/ML Platform providing predictive reporting and enabling active road safety enforcement for all vehicles.
• A Regulatory Standards Framework to augment the roles of the DVSA, DVLA and other regulatory or permitted departments. 

Improved Efficiency and Accuracy

ZATA offers increased efficiency and accuracy than manual testing and assessment. Our multi-point infrastructure can deliver quick and accurate testing, reducing the time and labour costs associated with manual testing.

ZATA testing also offers improved reliability, eliminating the potential for human error and able to detect subtle problems missed during manual testing. Because of its distributed network of connected technology, the solution provides detailed reports that can help predict issues with a vehicle and provide preemptive solutions.

Reduced Costs

A publicly owned ZATA solution can significantly reduce long-term costs, reducing labour costs associated with manual testing. Through augmenting the current physical testing infrastructure, regulatory bodies can benefit from the transparency of centralised monitoring. Furthermore, ZATA will facilitate remote management and standards enforcement with its AI and ML tools.

Finally, ZATA can help identify areas for improvement and provide data to inform future decision-making, reducing the need for costly trial and error. 

Improved Safety and Reliability

This approach to regulatory oversight can provide detailed reports that help identify potential road transport issues, reducing the need for costly infrastructure repairs. Our ambition for ZATA aligns with a broader road safety strategy:

• Safe vehicles
• Safe road user behaviours
• Safe speeds
• Post-collision care and including victim support