Automated driving is no longer blue sky thinking but progressively becoming a reality. The various levels of automation build on the ongoing enhancement of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems ADAS that ease the load (physically and mentally) on the driver in specific use cases. At assistance level, the driver is still obliged to permanently monitor the behavior of the vehicle. Driver Assistance Systems help in handling situations where cognitive or physical responses are overtaxed, be it at the stability level of driving, with Anti-lock Brake System ABS or Electronic Stability Control ESC, or at the guidance level, through “Safety ADAS” functions such as Emergency Brake Assist EBA or Emergency Steer Assist ESA.

At automation levels longitudinal and lateral guidance tasks are increasingly being taken over completely, with the significant change of the driver’s role with regard to relieving monitoring obligation, consequently a shift of liability from the driver to the system/vehicle manufacturer. The following paper provides an overview of the current state of knowledge of the various levels of automation from driver assisted vehicle operation to highly automated driving.