A month after a European Parliament committee approved a host of measures designed to reduce roadway fatalities, the European Commission has signed off on the plan. New vehicles sold in Europe starting in 2022 stand to be more connected and nanny-like than ever, with speed limiters being just one of the mandatory safety features.
Other features include connection points for alcohol ignition interlock devices, driver monitoring cameras, and a range of lesser tech that drivers might actually approve of.
The European Commission is the arm of the EY tasked with proposing and implementing legislation. While the plan still requires final approval from European Parliament and EU member states, that’s pretty much a formality at this point.
Automakers will need to ensure that new models introduced after May 2022 have all of the kit on hand, though they’ll have until May of 2024 to outfit existing models with the gear.
It’s a long list of features, the most significant being intelligent speed assistance (ISA) systems that can restrain vehicles from exceeding posted speed limits. (Ronnie explains these systems in detail in the link at the top of the page.) The other big addition are driver monitoring cameras, designed to send audio and visual warnings to the driver if the camera detects signs of distraction or drowsiness, and the ability for easy install of alcohol interlock devices. Accident data recorders will be on board to help investigators determine the cause of your crash.
Other features fall into the category of driver-assist tech, often found in a pricey optional technology package (in America, anyway). Advanced automatic emergency braking, lane holding, and backup cameras will be mandatory.
With these features on board, the European Commission anticipates the saving of 25,000 lives by 2038.
[Image: Daimler AG]
Cue “it’s happening in Europe so it MUST be happening here” folks in five…four…three…two…one…
I don’t care if it happens here so long as they don’t take away our anti-perspirants, too.
We gotta find a hobby for jatz.
Oh, it’ll happen here. Not at the decree of government, though. Insurance companies will be the ones making all this mandatory if you want them to insure your car. Americans already roll over and do any ridiculous thing big business tells them to do, like give a urine sample for a desk job and so on, so you can bet we’ll passively go along with this too.
Hail AOC! We need this crap too.
Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!
Don’t say you’re sorrier than I am, Dimitri. I am capable of being just as sorry as you.
We must not allow a speed limiter gap!
We’ll see more of this to the extent that women achieve positions of political power, which is in the process of being mandated in the EU. Think about all the petty, dictatorial rules in place at your local school, which is no doubt run by a bunch of totalitarians determined to eliminate any and all of life’s risks. Women will always choose safety and security over liberty and responsibility.
master is correct.
1- As more women vote (even since they got the franchise 100 years ago) the more left elections have shifted.
2- single women vote democrat (government is my protector/provider). Once they get married they vote republican (my husband is the provider / protector and demoncat policies take money and opportunity away from my family unit.)
ZZ Top’s “Planet of Women” is happening!
“Women will always choose safety and security over liberty and responsibility.”
Not all women, all of the time… but most of ‘em. And all it takes is most of ‘em. (to paraphrase Eric Cartman)
European man is becoming an oxy-moron. The literal nanny-state v. Islam is going to be hilarious. How long before European boys start converting en masse? Having women completely in charge of your life is destructive when you’re eight years old. When you’re twenty-eight?
Many men are naturally submissive and prefer to be ruled. The left could not exist without them.
What’s the point? We are all going to die in 12 years from global warming.
I’m pretty sure it’s 11 now. ;-)
Nope. It has been twelve years ever since Al Gore was running for President.
I was wrong about the origin of the twelve year horizon. The Frankfurt School of poisoned minds gave us Stanford University Professor Paul R. Ehrlich’s 1968 prediction that hundreds of millions would be dying in 1980. The left wing doomsday cultists selected twelve years as being near enough to be scary to their sheep and far enough out to come after the sheep will never admit that they have been fooled.
“that hundreds of millions would be dying in 1980”
Are you sure that hundreds of millions did not dye in 1980?
It is always 12 years until End of the World by Global Warming.
And it is always 20 year until the first commercial nuclear fusion reactor.
And it is always 5 more years until Cadillac’s breakthrough product.
And full autonomous vehicles are just 2 years away, for real this time guys. Now please invest in my AV startup
Six if Trump gets re-elected.
Market was supposed to crash as soon as Trump elected
Yeah but it was meant when Trump will be elected for the second term. And I am pretty sure it will happen. I already see inverted yield rate curve on the horizon.
I already dying every day bit by bit. Every passing day less alive I feel, turbo engine be damned. Turning into zombie I am.
No… CNN said, as soon as he elected
Then economy is already in recession. CNN cannot be wrong.
I bet the majority of Europeans, including European women, think this is overkill.
Over-reach like this is what will make Marine LePen France’s next President.
It’s why ordinary Britons want out of the EU.
Thanks GOD its Brexit!
Why is all this nanny tech necessary when autonomous cars are right around the corner and will eliminate all these problems?
Because so many serial felons in prison need transgendering that we’ll never be able to afford AV infrastructure. Dass wy.
It’s funny to read through the comments from the September 2, 2013 story and see how incrementalism works on NPCs. Schadenfreude is sort of a theme this week. I wonder if any of them can remember back when the Mueller report was going to validate their years of acting like conspiracy muppets?
Todd, the conspiracy people can’t remember what they ate for lunch yesterday. They’ll never admit the faith they originally put into Mueller.
I wonder if European drivers will revolt – another “yellow vest” issue. I would also predict late model used cars will rise in value.
Yellow vests need some side arms with it
Looks like the incels and Islamaphobes are out in full force today. I thought this was supposed to be a car blog?
Seriously. Reading the comments reminds me of why I come to this site much less often than I used to.
I remember a time, long ago, when TTAC comments were witty, smart, and gave great insights on the car industry. Long ago…
Ohhhh, incels and islamaphobes. Hot topic words of the day here people! And it hits with a hard force because you know, CAR FUN! Well I dont know about you guys, but man I was put in my place. I know what will cheer me up, how about a good ol fashioned faked hate crime, ala Smollett..?!?! I mean, I can BE racist and CLAIM racism at the SAME TIME! WOOOHOOO and after all that I wont even be punished for being a giant POS! YAY! Good times!
Yuck
And our government is seriously considering implementing Autobahn speed limits. If this will happen then hello AfD…
It depends on what is the limit. If it is 300 km/h then could live with it if I was a German.
EDITORS: If you don’t shut down these hateful comments, I’ll stop visiting TTAC.
I think you need that sarc switch thingy.
“EDITORS: If you don’t shut down these hateful comments, I’ll stop visiting TTAC.”
You promise?
you should leave TTAC and USA for that matter. We have 1st amendment. haha
slavuta, while I agree with the spirit of your comment, it doesn’t exactly apply here. This is a privately operated website with a terms of service which users can either agree to and follow, or agree to and violate. The operators of the website are well within their rights to ban anyone for saying anything they feel violates their terms of service. Same deal with people who get all up in arms about YouTube violating their free speech. It doesn’t work that way, bud, YouTube can censor whatever the hell they want.
Edit: again, I want to emphasize that I almost always agree with the things you say, slavuta. Love your comments.
wow, someone loves my comments. wow. Lets drink beer for that and the first couple of amendments. so we can not only say what we think but also defend such ability.
Alcohol and 2nd amendment in the same sentence. The results should be…interesting!
Can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not, but again… amendments have nothing to do with comments on a privately operated website. TTAC can ban or moderate whoever they want.
“I’ll stop visiting TTAC.”
I never knew you existed Voba. Thank you for your visit. We always happy to see you again.
Something something vaguely about the article…. SUCK IT! NO COLLUSION CHUMPS! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Are you ready to baby rage for 6 MORE YEARS?!?!?!
Flip the armrests down. You’re gonna fall off your scooter.
This is why I say that I’d rather watch sci-fi movies than live in one.
The very concept of NEW has been consistently disappointing me for the last 30 years.
But then I thought, maybe The Future’s just getting the dreck out of the way first.
Maybe we get the driverless cars, traffic cameras, apps and other crap first so that the starships, laser rifles and androids will just seem that much more awesome when they get here.
Alcohol interlocks should have been implemented decades ago. Everywhere.
What a wonderful news! We need to watch Europeans closely. They started two world wars already. Enough is enough!
The anti-car forces will kill the car from within, not just by making the world safe for bicycles.
Now bear in mind that the system can be defeated. It’s mostly the black box that will register driver behaviour and will be released to law enforcement and insurance companies in case of an accident that will really be a problem.
In and on itself, having a system that reminds the driver of the posted speed limit is no bad thing, especially considered the number of automatic radars.
The real problem IMO is the focus on speed alone, and the message it sends. Distraction effectively is much more dangerous. So is intoxication.
A funny french statistic is that most road deaths happen saturday mornings between 1 and 3am (ie when people come back from parties).
And when large trucks hit vehicules stopped or slowed in front of them. That’s when the driver is watching a movie from his laptop while using the white band as sound guidance…
Want to stop car accidents ???? STOP CELL PHONES
What a stupid concept—drive and use your phone at the same time