The European Commission has determined that all new vehicles must install a warning system against distraction while driving starting next year. However, the European Transportation Safety Council (ETSC) recently warned of failures in the system in question. In a letter it sent to the Commission, it warned against adopting cheap technologies that provide an inadequate response to the danger.
The ETSC opposes the draft rules for vehicle safety specifications recently approved by the European Commission. It contacted the Commission last month and pointed out failures in the warning system, which according to the draft, will be required to be installed in all vehicles manufactured starting in 2024. The Council’s letter claims, among the rest, that the system in question cannot detect distractions that originate in the dashboard area – where the drivers’ mobile phones are often located.
The Commission’s draft was born following the European Union’s decision in 2019 regarding the formulation of a safety technology package for vehicles, within which the installation of a warning system against distraction while driving was required – the number 1 cause of road accidents on the continent. The full technical specifications of the package are still being examined these days. Still, the recently approved draft hints at some of the solutions it may include, solutions that, as mentioned, some question their nature and effectiveness.
According to the ETSC, the required system can detect the driver’s prolonged glances toward the knees or legs. Still, it will not warn of danger when he looks towards the dashboard – where the touch screens of the multimedia systems and most likely also the mobile phone are located. The system will also be unable to detect when the driver turns his face to attend to the children in the back seats. This, although there is scientific evidence that looking away from the windshield that lasts more than two seconds may double the risk of an accident.
And if all this is not enough, the proposed system will “allow” drivers to be distracted for up to six seconds when driving at speeds of 20-50 km/h, that is, even in urban areas where there is a high concentration of vulnerable road users (children and adults).
From the wording of the document, it appears that there was an intervention of some automobile industry’s pressure groups who, most likely, demanded to delete parts concerning the distraction resulting from the driver’s focus on the dashboard area, as well as to increase the duration of the distraction before the system provides a warning.
Choose economic over safety
The issue of distraction while driving becomes critical every year due to our increasing dependence on mobile devices and the release of new car models boasting advanced multimedia systems that attract attention. But in this aspect, as the European Council for Transportation Safety claims, the specification to prevent distraction while driving does not pay attention.
“Time and again we see car industry groups attempting to weaken regulations to allow them to fit the cheapest and most ineffective safety systems – and time and again, we see the EU institutions letting them get away with it, says Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of ETSC.
“Distraction causes death and injury on our roads, and the problem is getting worse thanks to the rise of touchscreen infotainment systems and use of phone apps in the car. This regulation could make a big difference, but instead we risk ending up with a virtually useless system that doesn’t actually detect distraction. We strongly urge the EU to look at the rules again, and ensure they are fit for purpose.”
The SAVERONE system – to differentiate between primary and treat
Like ETSC, we at SAVERONE believe that when human lives are at stake – there is no room for mistakes. A system to prevent distraction while driving, as its name implies – is designed to avoid distraction while driving. Therefore, in an era where the main distraction comes from technological tools inside our vehicles, the embedded system must prevent the possibility of being distracted by them from the start. All of which is what the SAVERONE system is based on.
