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European Commission wants autonomous safety technology to be mandatory – report

The European Commission is reportedly considering making up to 19 safety technologies standard on all new cars sold across the European Union.


According to Autocar, the Commission wants to cut the number of deaths on European roads to 15,000 per year by 2020. In 2015, 26,120 people died in Europe due to motoring accidents.

To that end, autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning are the two technologies that the Commission would most like to see as standard fit on all new passenger cars.

These two items are already mandatory on semi-trailers and other large goods vehicles sold in the EU.

All up, the Commission is said to be considering adding up to 19 safety features as standard to all new cars sold across Europe.

Candidate technologies include lane keeping assistance, driver distraction monitoring, seat belt reminders, tyre pressure monitoring, and pulsing brake lights whenever a driver or the car's electronic brain engages in an emergency braking manoeuvre.

The Commission has also noted that buyers are increasingly preferring SUVs to traditional sedan, hatch and wagon models, and that additional rules and regulations may be required to counteract these vehicles' "higher centres of gravity, higher masses and aggressive front-end design".

It's not clear when the Commission will come to a decision about which new safety technologies it will make compulsory, nor when any laws and regulations will come into effect.

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