What should your new car carry from July

The European Union will require that, from July 6, all new cars approved in Europe have eight new driving aids. Eight devices that, in many cases, are already standard in many models and that will be mandatory in all new models launched on the European market. All those that are already on sale and that were not designed to receive these systems will have until 2024 to catch up. And in the coming years, the European Union will progressively increase the number of these compulsory devices. All this, of course, with the idea of ​​reducing the number of road accidents and minimizing damage when they occur.

Intelligent speed assistant with sign recognition

This function goes beyond cruise control or the traditional speed limiter that involved setting a maximum speed that the car respected. The system that is imposed now reads the maximum speed signs that we find on the road, city or highway and maintains and prevents exceeding that speed by controlling the throttle. In short, it is a matter of not exceeding the maximum speed allowed on the road (which is always visible on the instrumentation) and of adapting to a lower speed if the signage so expresses it.

This is an obligation that comes with a certain controversy since the current systems are not yet perfected and can make incorrect readings, especially in adverse weather conditions, or in situations where there are signs that do not affect the road on which it circulates but to another parallel, such as motorway exits, for example. In addition, sometimes, in order to avoid an accident, it may be necessary to accelerate, which is why the regulations provide for this system to be disconnected, either by means of a button, or by keeping the accelerator fully pressed. In any case, the European legislator has not ruled out that, within a time, the intelligent speed assistant cannot be disconnected.

Rear camera with cross traffic detection

The rear camera is a very present element today in almost all cars. It is of great help when parking, since it not only allows us to see what we have behind the car, but also, in some cases, it offers us direction guides and, if combined with the parking sensors, it alerts us with acoustic sounds when We are approaching an obstacle. From July it will be mandatory, but also with the addition of the cross-traffic detection system.

This function allows us to see if a car is approaching perpendicularly when we are parked on the battery and, if so, it warns us with some type of visual or sound warning so that we stop and avoid a possible accident. There are already many cars that not only warn us, but if we ignore the warning, they brake the car to avoid a dangerous situation. This braking function is not mandatory, but it will most likely become so in the future.

Lane departure warning

The most common accidents on the highway are caused by the invasion of adjoining lanes. Despite the fact that manipulating the mobile or the browser when we are on the move is strictly prohibited and punishable by losing points, some drivers continue to do so and stop paying attention to driving. The involuntary lane change alert warns the driver, through a visual, audible and even haptic warning, with a vibration in the steering wheel, that the car is invading an adjoining lane, either the right or the left or that it is exiting the single lane of a two-way roadway. And it does so whether we get confused or invade another lane voluntarily. To avoid it in the latter case, something as simple and, of course, also mandatory, such as activating the corresponding intermittent, is enough.

It is clear that what is mandatory is the lane departure warning. Not the correction system that turns the steering wheel in the opposite direction when the possibility of invading the next lane is detected, nor the lane keeping system that what it does is center the car in the lane and make small corrections to the steering wheel to always keep it in the center, as a first step towards future autonomous driving.

Fatigue and sleepiness detector

This system is designed to prevent accidents caused by drowsiness. To do this, what it does is analyze the movements of the steering wheel and if it notices that the way the driver moves it moves away from the usual (when we fall asleep we usually react with a swerve), it warns the driver of the situation through vibrations in the steering wheel or alerts in instrumentation. In addition, this system recommends the user to take a break after two hours of driving at a speed greater than 60 km/h, which indicates that he is driving on the motorway, a type of road on which it is easier to generate drowsiness when driving. be a more monotonous driving.

emergency braking system

This system detects a possible collision and warns the driver of a possible rear-end accident, either against the car in front of us (whether moving or stopped), or against a pedestrian or cyclist. In the event that the driver does not brake, the system can actually slow the car down and, if the driver reacts quickly and brakes, the system applies full braking power regardless of how far the driver is pressing the pedal. Keep in mind that the system is deactivated if the driver performs an evasive manoeuvre.

There are studies that support that this system can avoid more than half of the accidents by reach and run over both in the city and on the road. Thus, it is welcome, although sometimes the system warns us of possible collisions with cars parked obliquely or slows us down in situations that we have perfectly controlled, with the scare it gives us when it does.

Belt alert for the rear seats

This is self explanatory. We sit someone in one of the rear seats, he does not fasten his seat belt and the car warns us about it. Until now it was compulsory for the driver and now it is for all seats.

Pre-installation of breathalyzer with vehicle lock

At the moment, it is only a pre-installation. In principle, it should be accompanied by a breathalyzer and a car lock, that is, it is impossible to start it if a certain limit is exceeded. The European Union imposes it in the future since the legislation of each country is different and may change. The final idea is that those people who have been convicted of driving exceeding the limits on one occasion or more than one, depending on the country, must, by judicial imposition, demonstrate that they do not reach the legal limit before being able to start their car. . It is also possible that some countries may impose a zero blood alcohol level in this way on professionals, such as delivery drivers, taxi drivers or carriers.

black box

The black box is a system similar to that of airplanes that could store data on speed, steering wheel operation, acceleration and braking, the activation of passive safety systems (pretensioners and airbags) and if the lights and indicators worked in the 30 seconds before and 5 after an accident to be collected and analyzed. The European Union ensures that they will be data only for the investigation of the causes of the accident so that the brands can improve, with their analysis, the safety of their vehicles. The Union will guarantee that the data collected is 100% anonymous and is not used, in any case, for insurers to reject compensation or as evidence in an accident lawsuit.

The entry into force of the mandatory nature of these driving aids this year and in the coming years, since a new wave is planned in 2024 and another in 2025 will prevent, according to the European Union, 25,000 deaths and 140,000 serious injuries in the next 15 years. Therefore, it is something that is very worthwhile, even if it makes the final price of the cars more expensive.