The EU Now Requires Every New Car to Watch the Driver’s Eyes
The European Union has begun enforcing the final phase of its updated General Safety Regulation, requiring all newly registered passenger cars and vans to be equipped with driver-monitoring systems that track a driver’s eye and head movements to detect distraction.
The Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW) system uses a camera aimed at the driver to monitor head position and eye movements for signs of inattention. It issues visual and audible alerts if drivers look away from the road for more than six seconds at speeds between 20 and 50 kph (12 to 31 mph), or more than 3.5 seconds at higher speeds.
The requirement took effect on July 7 and is expected to apply to roughly 15 million newly registered vehicles each year across the EU.
According to the European Commission, the requirement is intended to reduce crashes caused by distracted driving. The Commission estimates that driver distraction contributes to 10% to 30% of road accidents in Europe and says the technology could save up to 25,000 lives by 2038.
While road safety advocates have praised the requirement, it has raised privacy concerns among some critics, who question the presence of always-on monitoring systems inside vehicles.
Critics note that the EU regulation does not require independent audits to verify that the ADDW systems operate entirely on a closed-loop basis, as intended. They argue this could make it difficult to confirm whether automakers or technology providers are collecting or transmitting driver data.
Privacy experts have also pointed to a lack of clarity over how much information is captured once the system detects driver distraction, how long any data is retained, and when it is deleted.
Those concerns are heightened by previous cases involving automakers’ handling of driver data.
In 2024, General Motors, Honda, Acura, Kia, Hyundai and Mitsubishi were found to have shared driver behavior data, including mileage, speed, hard braking and rapid acceleration, with data brokers, which used the information to generate risk scores for insurance companies.
A separate investigation in 2023 found that Tesla employees had shared video footage recorded by the company’s vehicle cameras, including clips of crashes and other incidents.
Meanwhile, in addition to monitoring driver attention, the updated rules require vehicles to adopt a range of safety upgrades, including advanced emergency braking systems capable of detecting pedestrians and cyclists, improved forward visibility, expanded pedestrian-protection glazing, and new performance tests for worn tires.
Automakers across Europe have expressed mixed views on the new mandate. While many manufacturers, including Volkswagen Group, Stellantis, and BMW, have already integrated similar driver monitoring technologies in higher-end models under existing Euro NCAP safety ratings, the universal requirement adds significant compliance costs. Industry estimates suggest an additional €200–€500 per vehicle in hardware and software integration, potentially passed on to consumers amid broader economic pressures from supply chain challenges and slowing EV adoption. Some smaller producers worry about delays in vehicle certification and market entry.
Supporters, including the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), argue that the ADDW system represents a critical step toward Vision Zero—the EU’s goal of eliminating road fatalities by 2050. Early pilot programs in select member states have shown promising results, with distraction-related alerts reducing near-miss incidents by up to 40% in controlled tests. Integration with other mandated systems, such as Intelligent Speed Assistance and Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning, creates a layered safety net that could complement future Level 3 and 4 autonomous driving features.
However, privacy advocates from groups like NOYB (None of Your Business) and BEUC (European Consumer Organisation) continue to push for stronger safeguards. They recommend mandatory data minimization protocols, on-device processing without cloud transmission, and user-accessible dashboards showing exactly what data is collected. Without these, critics fear a “surveillance creep” where distraction data could eventually inform insurance premiums, employment decisions, or even law enforcement access under broad data-sharing agreements.
Looking ahead, the regulation is expected to influence global standards. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is already considering similar rules, while the U.S. NHTSA has proposed voluntary guidelines but faces resistance over federalism and privacy issues. For drivers, adaptation will be key—many may initially find the alerts intrusive, but over time, normalized use could foster safer habits. As vehicles become more connected, balancing innovation, safety, and individual rights will remain a central challenge for policymakers and manufacturers alike.
