To limit the risk of accidents on the roads, the European Union is changing legislation. From July 1, 2024, a new, very specific safety device will be mandatory in vehicles.
You’ve been driving on the road for hours and fatigue is starting to creep up on you, slowly but surely. You struggle, as you finally approach your destination. Your eyelids feel heavy and you doze off despite yourself. You may not be aware of it, but then you are in serious danger. The first signs of drowsiness alone increase the risk of having an accident by three or four times. Moreover, on the highway, one in three fatal accidents is linked to drowsiness. Also, to achieve its objective of zero road deaths by 2050, the European Union has decided to make certain safety equipment, including surveillance cameras, compulsory.
HAS From July 7, 2024, all new cars sold on the European market must be equipped with a system for direct detection of the driver’s state of distraction and fatigue, according to a European regulation called GSR2 (General Safety Regulation 2). It must be able to detect if the driver is dozing, looking too much at the GPS, his phone or the surrounding landscape. In short, he must control the slightest difference in concentration while driving and must alert the driver if he does not have his eyes glued to the road for more than 3.5 seconds, while driving at a speed of 50 km/h or more. Between 20 and 50 km/h, this period increases to 6 seconds of inattention, i.e. the maximum distraction threshold set by the regulations. Detection must be possible day and night, even if the driver is wearing a cap, sunglasses or even false eyelashes. The most effective way would be the infrared camera.
If they detect an anomaly, the cameras will warn the driver using a message on the dashboard or on the vehicle’s central screen or an audible warning. However, the Commission does not specify which warning message the vehicle must display. We can imagine systems similar to those already existing, which invite you to take a break on your journey – some are even quite insistent when the alert is displayed several times in a short period of time.
This new legislation therefore takes drowsiness detection systems – also called DMS for Driver Monitoring System, or driver monitoring system – already present in certain vehicles since July 2022, in particular through a range of sensors installed at the steering wheel. The latter are able to estimate, based on the movements of the steering wheel, how to maintain the direction of the vehicle, if the driver seemed distracted or inattentive.
The GSR 2 standard imposes a whole list of mandatory active safety equipment on all new vehicles sold within the European Union. Among those to come, we can cite the intelligent speed adapter, but also what records digital data before, during and after an accident, reinforces crash tests, and ensures reinforced protection of vehicles in the event of a cyber attack. HAS This will later be added to the detection of pedestrians and cyclists – compulsory on all new vehicles from July 7, 2026 – as well as the installation of an alcohol immobilizer.
However, two problems arise. First, the installation of these new detectors, previously reserved for high-end vehicles, is likely to increase car prices. Then, the proliferation of connected devices which send data, in particular cameras which film what is happening in the passenger compartment, raises fears of problems regarding the protection of private life. Let us hope that the authorities take all necessary precautions to guarantee the confidentiality of personal data.