Method › Concepts › DDT fallback and minimal risk condition
ROAT-CON-FALLBACK · concept
Also: fallback · minimal risk manoeuvre (MRM) · minimal risk condition (MRC) · risikominimaler Zustand · minimálne rizikový stav
The response to a performance-relevant system failure or to an exit from the operational design domain: a user performs the DDT, or the user or the automated driving system brings the vehicle to a minimal risk condition, a stable stopped state that reduces crash risk when the trip cannot or should not continue. EU type-approval law names the manoeuvre a minimal risk manoeuvre; German law names the resulting state the risikominimaler Zustand. The Observatory codes who performs or triggers the fallback separately from who performs the DDT, because frameworks allocate the two functions to different actors.
Locus in the sources
Related concepts
Dynamic driving task (DDT) · Technical supervision (remote supervisor)
In Module 03 · column “Fallback / MRM” · snapshot 2026-09-07 review snapshot
| Role | Fallback / MRM |
|---|---|
| Human driver UNECE / 1968 Vienna Convention | Conditional |
| ADS as functional substitute for driver requirement UNECE / 1968 Vienna Convention | System-dependent |
| Remote assistance / remote interaction UNECE ADS work / technical interpretation | Support only |
| Transport / service operator European Union – Regulation (EU) 2022/1426 | Organisational |
| Remote management function European Union – Regulation (EU) 2022/1426 / JRC interpretation | Support |
| Authorised self-driving entity / ADS legal-responsibility entity Great Britain – Automated Vehicles Act 2024 | No direct |
| User with limited in-vehicle legal duties during self-driving Great Britain – Automated Vehicles Act 2024 | Transition |
| No-user-in-charge operational entity Great Britain – Automated Vehicles Act 2024 | Organisational |
| Technical remote supervisor Germany – StVG / AFGBV | Support |
| Automated road transport system operator France – STRA framework | Organisational |
| Authorised remote intervention person France – STRA / automated-driving framework | Support |
| In-vehicle operator during automated operation Croatia – Road Traffic Safety Act | MRM request |
| Remote intervention operator Croatia – Road Traffic Safety Act | MRM support |
| Licensed fully automated vehicle operator Slovakia – parliamentary print 1329 (draft) | Organisational |
| Supervision operator Slovakia – parliamentary print 1329 (draft) | Support |
| Level 3 fallback-ready user SAE J3016 | Yes |
| Remote human driver SAE J3016 | Possible |
| Trip-dispatch / strategic user SAE J3016 | No |
| Prototype ADS fallback test driver SAE J3018 | Yes |
| In-vehicle prototype fallback test driver SAE J3018 | Yes |
| Remote prototype fallback test driver SAE J3018 | Yes |
| Safety driver in public-road AV testing California – DMV testing regime | Yes |
| AV testing permit holder California – DMV AV program | Organisational |
| Automated-vehicle trial permit holder Sweden – Swedish Transport Agency | Organisational |
| ADS lifecycle safety entity Australia – proposed Automated Vehicle Safety Law framework | Lifecycle |
| Driverless-operation permission holder Japan – Road Traffic Act SAO framework | Organisational |
| Remote operational supervisor Japan – Road Traffic Act SAO framework | Incident response |
| Automated commercial vehicle pilot participant Ontario, Canada – ACMV Pilot Program | Organisational |
| Driverless-test oversight assistant Ontario, Canada – ACMV Pilot Program | Safe-stop support |
| Vehicle owner as statutory responsibility holder Croatia – Road Traffic Safety Act | No |
In Module 02 · column “DDT / fallback allocation” · snapshot 2026-09-07 review snapshot
| Regime | DDT / fallback allocation |
|---|---|
| Germany – current law | ADS performs DDT; system must comply with road rules and achieve minimum-risk condition where necessary |
| France – current law | ADS performs DDT; remote intervention supports defined situations without collapsing into ordinary remote driving |
| Croatia – current law | ADS performs driverless operation; remote intervention supports defined operational/safety functions |
| Great Britain – 2026 transitional current law | Authorised ADS performs self-driving task; user-in-charge duties are separated where relevant |
| China – current transitional regime | L3 ADS performs DDT within approved conditions; human fallback remains relevant to L3 design |
| China – 2026 Road Traffic Safety Law draft prospective | ADS continuously performs full DDT within design operating conditions; L2 assistance is expressly distinguished |
| Slovakia – current law (31 Aug 2026) | Current framework remains structurally driver/test oriented; dedicated driverless DDT allocation is incomplete |
| Slovakia – CPT 1329 prospective model prospective | ADS should remain DDT performer; current wording risks transferring DDT remotely to supervisor in some clauses |
Cite this concept
ROAT Observatory, concept DDT fallback and minimal risk condition [ROAT-CON-FALLBACK], approved definition, 2026-09-07. Jozef Andraško. /method/concepts/ddt-fallback/