ISO 26262
More info
- Owner
- ISO
- Released
- 2011 (second edition 2018)
- Type
- Standard
- Predecessor
- IEC 61508
The functional-safety standard for road vehicles — how a car's electronics and software must be developed so that they hurt nobody when they fail.
ISO 26262 is the automotive adaptation of IEC 61508 and appeared in 2011; the 2018 second edition extended it to trucks, buses and motorcycles. Its core is the ASIL, Automotive Safety Integrity Level, graded A to D. The level is derived from how severe the harm would be, how often the situation arises, and whether the driver can control it. Brakes and steering often land at D; cabin lighting doesn't register at all.
The higher the level, the heavier the demands for traceability, verification and independent review — and the more binders. For firmware that means, in practice, MISRA C, a computed WCET and qualified tools.