Plans to mandate automakers to fit almost 30 advanced safety systems on all new cars in Europe, including speed limiters and monitors that detect drowsy or distracted drivers, were welcomed by suppliers and safety groups.
The European Commission said the move will reduce accidents, pave the way toward more connected and automated mobility, and boost innovation in the region's car industry.
The advanced safety technologies could have the same kind of impact as when the safety belts were first introduced, the EU’s industry commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said in a statement.
Many of the new features already exist on cars, in particular in high–end vehicles, she said.
Volvo said on March 20 that it will install cameras and sensors in its next-generation cars to intervene if drivers appear to be drunk or distracted.
The new rules will be a "great leap forward" for road safety, Antonio Avenoso, head of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) said in a statement.
The European automotive suppliers' association, CLEPA, welcomed the 2022 timeframe so the technology can be introduced swiftly on future models.
The so-called General Safety Regulation will require safety features to be fitted as standard on new cars including:
- Technology that warns the driver in case of drowsiness or distraction, for example using a smartphone while driving.
- Intelligent speed assistance (ISA) technology that can automatically prevent drivers from exceeding the speed limit using road-sign recognition cameras and GPS-linked speed limit databases
- Reversing safety with camera or sensors
- A data recorder (black box) in case of an accident
- Lane-keeping assistance.