Report Compliance with basic standards would save up to 540,000 lives a year
Alcohol They ask for five years in prison for the drunk driver who killed a motorist when he was going to a trial for alcohol
Up to 25,000 deaths and more than 140,000 injuries are expected in the EU to be avoided, between now and 2040, with the progressive installation of different driving assistance systems,
the so-called ADAS.
Whether these objectives are met or not, their impact is undeniable as they correct errors at the wheel and avoid or minimize the consequences of accidents, since 90% of those that occur are caused by the human factor.
From this Wednesday, eight of those systems are mandatory in new cars.
The so-called black box stands out, which, in the style of that of airplanes, will only be used for scientific purposes, never to spy on the driver or expose him.
Also the software that, in the medium term, will allow the installation of locks that prevent you from using the car if you have drunk excessively.
Although most are already known and many are already installed in utility or mid-size cars.
But it is important to specify: for now, only passenger cars will be required to be homologated as of July 6.
That is, new construction.
If they are already for sale or have not yet reached the market, but have already been homologated, they cannot be ordered until July 2024.
Of course, these electronic aids will not be forced to be installed in cars already in circulation.
In five years, Brussels plans to make an assessment of its results.
In addition, the improvements will also reach vans and trucks, although from 2028.
Its
application will be gradual.
In any case, they must be simple to operate and their warnings must be clear for the elderly or disabled.
smart speed assistant
A camera placed on the front is enough, better if it is combined with GPS information, so that the car knows how fast we have to go in each section.
So what this device will do is
continuously adapt our rhythm to that of the signals, using cruise control for this.
Although the user will be allowed to deactivate it
if he acts wrongly or needs to accelerate urgently, in which case the pedal will have to be pressed hard to break that resistance.
It is an evolution of the first speed limiters in which the device only prevents us from exceeding the maximum speed, but does not adapt it intelligently and continuously.
Rear camera with cross traffic detection
Anyone who already has a vehicle with a rear camera will have already seen that, if it is useful when parking without giving the car a scratch, it is much more so when it comes to
reversing out of an area with poor visibility, such as a parking lot. battery: the wide angle they carry shows us many hidden things.
What Brussels wants is that, in addition to showing images, the software tracks the sides looking for other vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians with whom we can collide.
On the screen,
a warning sign will warn us from which side it is coming from and, if we do not brake, the car will do so on its own.
Fatigue and sleepiness detector
It is advisable to make a stop every two hours or 200 km of travel, factors that are controlled in a very simple way.
But also whenever we begin to notice that we are tired.
A simple control of our hand on the steering wheel is enough for the car to sense that we have been driving too long, since we make inaccuracies continuously and correct abruptly.
In a first phase, the device will warn us that we are tired or sleepy and, in a later evolution, it will be able to warn of a distraction.
To do this, you will need facial recognition cameras that, due to data protection, will not be able to store the images.
emergency braking
Already required by EuroNCAP to achieve the highest rating in its tests, it makes the car stop, or brake to the maximum, in the event of a possible collision with another stationary or moving vehicle.
In a second phase (cars registered from 2026), it must recognize pedestrians and cyclists.
In addition, in very sudden stops, the emergency flashers will be activated.
These types of elements were born to avoid rear-end collisions and run overs in the city, but there are already some that are effective at very high speeds.
Its interest also responds to the fact that many users, in an emergency, either do not brake with the necessary force or stop doing so before time.
Lane departure warning
The car reads the road signs through a camera and if we leave the lane without activating the intermittent, it understands that we are getting lost.
And it will warn of it (sound, visual or through vibrations in the steering wheel or seat).
In their most advanced versions, these devices intervene on the steering wheel to correct the trajectory and can take full control if the driver has suffered an indisposition or does not respond.
But since they can fail or not read the road well, their disconnection will be allowed.
In fact, in some current cars its action is very intrusive and violent.
System that prevents starting the car if it has been drunk
For many years now, in the aftermarket you can buy devices that prevent the vehicle from starting if you have had too much to drink.
Even some brands like Volvo have promoted it.
But what the EU requires to carry in cars is not that device, but the interface that allows it to be installed and that it fulfills its function.
Alcohol is behind 25% of accident deaths that occur each year in the EU.
In Spain, these devices must be installed in passenger transport vehicles, as stated in the reform of the Traffic Law that comes into force on March 21.
Aircraft-style black box
In technical jargon, it is known as EDR (for Event Data Recorder).
It will record a large number of parameters before, during and after a claim.
But that information will be used only for further scientific knowledge.
For this reason, the data will always be anonymous, without even being able to identify the license plate of the vehicle.
Nor can it be deactivated by the user.
At no time is it considered that it can be used to impose fines a posteriori (for example, for speeding) or transfer your data to third parties such as insurers.
Although this would make the most respectful drivers with the rules have better policies.
Belt notice at the back
Since 2004, cars must carry a warning that the seat belts in the front seats are not being used, when they are occupied.
Now it is mandatory to monitor the rear seats.
After a few meters or exceeding a certain speed, a beep will warn us (until it becomes almost unbearable) that there are offenders on board.
If they are adults, the fine (200 euros) will be paid by them.
If they are minors, the driver.
Although that is the least of it.
In a frontal collision at only 60 km/h, an unbelted rear occupant is thrown against those in front as if he weighed 56 times more: that is, a 75-kilogram person is projected as if he weighed more than four tons.
The same as an elephant.
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