The European Parliament, Council and Commission (the EU institutions) reached a provisional political agreement on the revised General Safety Regulation. As of 2022 a suite of 15 new safety technologies will become mandatory in European vehicles to protect passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. The European Commission expects that the proposed measures will help save more than 25,000 lives and avoid at least 140,000 serious injuries by 2038. The new mandatory safety features include: For cars, vans, trucks and buses: warning of driver drowsiness and distraction (e.g. smartphone use while driving); intelligent speed assistance (ISA); reversing safety with camera or sensors; and data recorder in case of an accident (“black box”). ISA uses a speed sign-recognition video camera and/or GPS-linked speed limit data to advise drivers of the current speed limit and automatically limit the speed of the vehicle as needed. ISA systems do not automatically apply the brakes, but simply […]