Safer cars for safer EU roads.

10 November 2019

As of mid-2022, all new cars put on the EU market will have to be equipped with advanced safety systems. Following an agreement with the European Parliament last March, the Council has adopted a regulation on the general safety of motor vehicles and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users in a bid to significantly reduce the number of road casualties.

These new rules will help to reduce significantly the number of fatalities and severe injuries on EU roads . They also enhance the European car manufacturers’ competitiveness in the global market.

Under the new rules, all motor vehicles (including trucks, buses, vans and sport utility vehicles) will have to be equipped with the following safety features :

• intelligent speed assistance,
• alcohol interlock installation facilitation,
• driver drowsiness and attention warning systems,
• advanced driver distraction warning systems,
• emergency stop signals,
• reversing detection systems,
• event data recorders,
• accurate tyre pressure monitoring,
• Supplementary advanced safety measures will be required for cars and vans. These include :
• advanced emergency braking systems,
• emergency lane-keeping systems,
• enlarged head impact protection zones capable of mitigating injuries in collisions with vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists.

In addition to the general requirements and existing systems (such as lane departure warning and advanced emergency braking), trucks and buses will have to be designed and manufactured in such a way that the blind spots around the vehicle are significantly reduced. They will also have to be equipped with advanced systems capable of detecting pedestrians and cyclists located in close proximity  to the vehicle.