- The European regulation on general safety will be expanded
- Driver distraction warning systems will need to be fitted to new cars
- Privacy advocates are already voicing their data concerns
As of this week, the European Commission said that all new vehicles registered in the European Union will need to be equipped with advanced driver distraction warning (ADDW) systems in order to comply with new, tougher safety legislation.
While European roads are among the safest in the world, the European Commission said in its statement that “the number of deaths and injuries from road accidents is still too high.” As a result, it should expand its general safety regulations to include several new requirements.
Among the new requirements are advanced emergency braking systems that detect pedestrians and cyclists, as well as “improved forward vision” and camera-based driver distraction technology that audibly warns drivers to pay attention to the road.
Many new cars already feature this technology, which uses a small camera mounted behind the steering wheel or somewhere above the infotainment system in the center of the dashboard.
Constantly active, the system monitors the driver’s eyes and facial expressions, intervening if it detects that the driver is looking away from the road for too long.
Current manufacturers’ systems range from beeping sounds and on-screen safety notifications when they detect a distraction, to disabling automated cruise control and other features.
Critics have already slammed the move, with EU conservatives describing the Commission’s move as “the latest boring piece of EU over-regulation”, which arrives with little clarity on how the data will be processed.
These ADDW systems must operate in a closed-loop system, in which all data is processed locally in the car and is never uploaded to a third-party server.
However, since April 2018, all newly approved passenger cars and light vans in the EU must include an eCall emergency system that automatically contacts emergency services in the event of a serious accident.
This, coupled with the fact that consultancy McKinsey predicts that 95% of all vehicles will be connected to the internet by 2030, means it’s not far-fetched to think that driver monitoring data could eventually leave the vehicle.
Analysis: A data privacy nightmare
A 2023 analysis by Mozilla examined the privacy policies of 25 automotive brands and found that each of them failed to meet its own privacy and security standards. Mozilla concluded that cars were “the worst product category we’ve ever looked at for privacy.”
In 2024, the Texas Attorney General opened an investigation into several automakers following reports that they collected large amounts of driver data and sold it to third parties.
As the European Conservative points out, there is currently very little clarity from the EU on how driver data is processed, meaning these systems could potentially help determine insurance premiums or serve as evidence in court, for example.
Beyond that, ADDW technology can also be extremely annoying when implemented incorrectly.
I’ve lost count of the number of times a system has warned me to be careful when all I’m doing is trying to find a simple function in a confusing series of touchscreen menus.
On the one hand, Euro NCAP says it will target “annoying” security technologies, but on the other hand, the European Union is forcing greater reliance on these systems. It’s a confusing time to be a motorist.
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