The main characteristic of Level 3 is that the car is doing the driving, but the human is still the required fallback.
Feature
Description
Automation
Conditional Driving Automation. The car can perform the full dynamic driving task (steering, braking, accelerating) under specific, limited conditions (called the Operational Design Domain, or ODD).
Hands-Off
Yes. The driver is permitted to take their hands off the steering wheel.
Eyes-Off
Yes. The driver is permitted to take their eyes off the road and engage in secondary activities (like watching a video or checking email). This is the key difference from Level 2.
Driver Role
Fallback-Ready User. The driver must remain present and mentally prepared to take over control when the system issues an alert or "request to intervene."
Liability
When the system is active, the manufacturer/system is generally liable for crashes. When the driver is requested to take over, or if they override the system, the driver is liable.