A number of new safety systems are set to be made compulsory on new vehicles sold in the European Union to avoid sleepy and drunk drivers from causing accidents.
The legislation, which will require several advanced safety features to be fitted as standard, has been approved by Internal Market Committee MEPs and will now go forward for approval from the full European Parliament.
The new tech required in EU-manufactured cars includes automatic emergency braking systems, lane departure warning systems, intelligent speed assistance and ‘alcohol interlock installation facilitation’.
It will also require new tech to determine if a driver is drowsy or has lost attention on the road.
An advanced company which designs AI powered operator monitoring systems to improve transport safety has welcomed the new rules.
“The leadership shown by Europe in this move to improve transport safety using technology is most welcome, as governments all over the world grapple with serious injuries and fatalities caused by road accidents,” said Ken Kroeger, CEO of Seeing Machines.
“Seeing Machines is focused on safety outcomes and we have spent the past 20 years honing our technology for this very purpose.”
The AIM-listed company’s driver monitoring technology, which has already launched in some vehicles as standard can also be ‘retro-fitted’ to over 16,000 commercial and mining vehicles around the world.
The tech is designed to understand the state of the driver, to ensure that fatigue and distraction related events and the risks associated with that behaviour, are mitigated.