MEPs call for driver-assistance systems to made compulsory for new cars

Following over 25,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries on Europe’s roads each year, 90% of which are caused by human error, MEPs are calling for new cars to be equipped with lifesaving driver assistance systems in a draft resolution. Three-quarters of new cars are still not equipped with the systems due to the extra cost. In response, the resolution suggests only making features compulsory that are already available on the market such as automatic emergency braking systems with pedestrian and
November 17, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

Following over 25,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries on Europe’s roads each year, 90% of which are caused by human error, MEPs are calling for new cars to be equipped with lifesaving driver assistance systems in a draft resolution.

Three-quarters of new cars are still not equipped with the systems due to the extra cost. In response, the resolution suggests only making features compulsory that are already available on the market such as automatic emergency braking systems with pedestrian and cyclist detection.

The systems vary and can also automatically slow a car down to avoid a collision and assist drivers to remain within speed limits. Other systems can start beeping or steer a car back when the driver drifts out of the lane.

MEPs are also looking to assess the possible added value of cutting the blood alcohol limit to zero for new drivers and professional drivers across the EU.

German EPP member Dieter-Lebrecht Koch, author of the non-binding resolution, said: “Whether as drivers, pedestrians or cyclists – we all make mistakes. And in those cases automatic assistance systems are like silent co-pilots that help us avoid accidents.”

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • New Mersey crossing ends Halton’s congestion misery
    December 5, 2017
    Plagued by intolerable congestion but denied government funding for its solution, tiny Halton Borough Council relentlessly pursued its vision and achieved what many believed impossible. Halton may be a small local authority in north west England, but it had a big traffic problem. However, as the road, or more particularly the bridge, involved was not deemed a strategic route, central government would not commission or even fund a solution - a problem that many other local authorities will recognise.
    Read More
  • Towards intelligent road infrastructure
    October 8, 2021
    A digital transformation is happening in the world today and the result is that Europe’s transport infrastructure, and also the car industry are experiencing revolutionary changes. Jēkabs Krastiņš looks at the challenges and plots the road ahead.
    Read More
  • Over 700,000 crashes avoided every year in the US thanks to ADAS, predicts new report
    May 19, 2017
    A new study by Ptolemus Consulting Group predicts that advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) will have a considerable impact on safety and the potential to reduce accidents. The firm’s Autonomous Vehicle Global Study provides a comprehensive analysis of the timeline, volumes and impacts of the upcoming automation revolution. It quantifies country-by-country the roll-out of ADAS and autonomous vehicles (AVs) and estimates their impact on driver safety. By 2030, Ptolemus forecasts that there will be more
    Read More
  • New film highlights life-saving potential of ISA technology for new cars
    February 1, 2016
    A new film from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) makes the case for making intelligent speed assistance (ISA) which can be overridden a standard feature on all new vehicles in Europe. The five-minute video has been launched as the European Commission continues work on the development of the next generation of vehicle safety standards, expected to be launched later this year. A major study for the Commission published last year by consultants TRL found that ISA is one of several new vehicl
    Read More

Highlighted Content