The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea has released safety standards to operate Level 3 (partially autonomous) self-driving vehicles.

These standards will come into effect from July and will pave the way for the manufacturing of safe autonomous vehicles in South Korea.

In Level 3 autonomous vehicles, drivers must be present behind the wheel to take over in case of emergencies.

During other times, the car can operate without the need for the driver to have their hands on the wheel.

Under the new standards, the car must tell the driver to take control 15 seconds prior to exiting the expressway or other safe zones.

The ministry will also introduce safety standards for autonomously changing lanes in a Level 3 car.

The five levels of autonomous vehicles are defined based on how much responsibility the car assumes while driving.

In Level 2 self-driving vehicles, the driver is required to hold the steering wheel during the journey even when the vehicle maintenance function is engaged.

In Level 4 cars, the intervention of a driver is not required. The car comes with an option for human override in emergencies.

Level 5, or fully automated cars, do not require human interaction for any operations.

In November last year, South Korea-based Hyundai Mobis developed rear-autonomous emergency braking (R-AEB) technology using ultra short-range radar (USRR).

The technology detects objects behind the car and forcefully stops the vehicle if the driver does not apply the brakes.