Embedded software article: safety critical systems

My latest article at embedded.com has been published:

Safety critical systems – the basics

Designing any kind of system to be truly “safe” is a challenge. The first requirement is to define the term “safe” and consider the implications of it being unsafe. A system is a combination of hardware and software and these each contribute to the safety and integrity of the system as a whole. This article looks at the basic considerations for designing for safety, using an automobile as the example.

I wrote this article because I was deeply shocked by my friend’s experience and realized that there was just a chance that I could help prevent such an error occurring again.