TL;DR
From 7 July 2026, the second phase of the EU’s Common Safety Regulations will make advanced driver aids mandatory in all new cars and vans, including pedestrian and cyclist detection emergency braking and camera-based driver distraction warning. It builds on the first phase of 2024 (which introduced intelligent speed assistance) and supports the EU’s Vision Zero target of near-zero road deaths by 2050. The cabin view camera is the most controversial element, welcomed by security researchers but wary of privacy advocates.
A new wave of mandatory safety technology for cars and vans came into effect in the EU on July 7. Every newly manufactured passenger car and van must now carry advanced driver aids, European Commission approved.
Headlining adds an advanced emergency braking and driver distraction warning system that detects pedestrians and cyclists. The rules also require better forward vision, new tests for worn tires and wider safety glass to protect pedestrians.
This is the second phase of the General Safety Rule, a 2019 law that made the once-premium features standard. The first phase, mandatory from 2024, already brought systems such as intelligent speed assistance.
Brussels introduced the rules in stages, as the newer features are technically demanding. Automakers have been given extra time to develop reliable detection of pedestrians and cyclists and in-cab monitoring.
The goal is the EU’s Vision Zero, an ambition to reduce road deaths to as close to zero as possible by 2050. Distracted and vulnerable road users are particular targets and the block wants to do just that. accelerating the adoption of driver assistance technology throughout the fleet.
Camera in the cabin
The most controversial part is the driver distraction warning, which is based on a camera aimed at the driver’s face. It monitors gaze and head position and alerts the driver when the driver’s attention wanders off the road for an extended period of time.
Safety researchers see clear value because inattention is a major cause of accidents, and real-time nudging can prevent them. Privacy advocates are more wary of always-on cabin cameras, even if the systems are designed to operate instantaneously rather than recording.
This tension is not unique to distraction warnings. Europe has led the push to mandate in-car safety technology and speed limits outpaced efforts elsewherealthough the EU version is nudged rather than forced to slow down.
From driver assistants to automated driving
The mandate blurs the familiar line, and that helps driver assistance separate from full automation. These systems help the person stay in control rather than replace them.
The same regulation provides the legal basis for automated driving in Europe. This framework is being tested as it becomes Dutch First EU country to approve Tesla’s supervised Fully Self-driving vehicleamid ongoing regulatory scrutiny.
Underlying it all is a shift towards how cars are built software defined vehicle filled with sensors and calculations. Requiring advanced security technology is driving the entire industry further down this path.
The bottom line for buyers is simple, if not gratuitous: new cars are safer and a little more careful, and a little more expensive to make. Whether a driver-facing camera is seen as protection or surveillance may depend on who is behind the wheel.
