Aiming to halve the number of deaths on European roads by 2030 and to virtually zero the number of fatalities and injuries by 2050, the European Commission (EC) wants to make the use of 11 new safety systems mandatory in the cars we drive .
It was in May 2018 that we became aware of this EC proposal, a proposal that was recently approved, albeit provisionally — definitive approval should take place later this year. The only difference lies in the implementation date, which moved forward one year, from 2021 to 2022.
The European Commission hopes the proposed measures will help to save more than 25,000 lives and to prevent at least 140,000 serious injuries by 2038.
11 new mandatory security systems
As mentioned, a total of 11 new security systems will become mandatory in cars, many of them already known and present in the cars we drive today:
- Emergency autonomous braking
- Pre-installation Breathalyzer ignition block
- Drowsiness and Distraction Detector
- Accident data recording (black box)
- Emergency Stop System
- Front Crash-test upgrade (full vehicle width) and improved seat belts
- Enlarged head impact zone for pedestrians and cyclists, and safety glass
- Smart speed assistant
- Lane Maintenance Assistant
- Occupant protection - pole impacts
- Rear camera or detection system
In this list, the Front Crash-Test Update , is not a safety device per se, but a review of European certification tests — despite being more mediatic, the Euro NCAP tests and criteria have no regulatory value — making them more demanding.
The equipment that is generating the most discussion is the Smart Speed Assistant . This will use GPS data and the traffic sign recognition functionality to alert drivers of speed limits, and may even automatically limit the vehicle's speed so as not to exceed the allowed speed, limiting the available power. It remains to be seen whether the possibility of temporarily shutting down the system remains, as we previously announced.
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Also noteworthy for the Drowsiness and Distraction Detector , a measure we've recently seen also announced by Volvo, which uses interior cameras and other sensors capable of detecting the driver's state of attention; The Data Recording in case of accidents, that is, a black box similar to those found on airplanes; and the Pre-installation of Breathalyzer , which does not imply the installation of the breathalyzer itself, but that the vehicle is ready to receive them.
Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Markets90% of road accidents are due to human error. The new mandatory safety features we are proposing today will reduce the number of accidents and pave the way for a driverless future with connected and autonomous driving.
Source: European Commission