New EU rules are now in place which makes Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW) systems mandatory in all new vehicles including trucks and light commercial vehicles.
The EU’s new driver monitoring requirements are part of its European Union General Safety Regulation (GSR), which introduces a phased rollout of advanced safety technologies in new vehicles. The rules are intended to reduce crashes caused by fatigue and distraction, which are significant contributors to road accidents.
There are two distinct driver-monitoring systems in the regulation:
- Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning (DDAW) – detects signs that the driver is becoming fatigued or inattentive and issues a warning.
- Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW) – detects when the driver is looking away from the road for too long and warns them to refocus.
When do the rules apply?
The rollout is phased:
- Since July 2024: All newly registered cars and vans sold in the EU must include the driver drowsiness and attention warning system, along with several other safety features such as Intelligent Speed Assistance, lane-keeping assistance, and automatic emergency braking.
- From July 2026: The more advanced driver distraction warning requirement applies to all newly registered vehicles, after first applying to new vehicle types.
How do these systems work?
The regulation is technology-neutral, meaning manufacturers can choose how to meet the performance requirements.
For drowsiness detection, systems may use:
- Steering inputs
- Vehicle lane position
- Driving patterns
- Other vehicle signals
For distraction monitoring, many manufacturers use:
- An infrared or RGB cabin camera
- Eye-gaze tracking
- Head-position tracking
- Blink frequency
- Face orientation
The system does not take over the vehicle. Its purpose is to warn the driver when attention appears to be insufficient.
What about privacy?
Privacy has been one of the most discussed aspects of the new rules.
The EU’s technical requirements specify that these systems should operate as a closed-loop safety function, meaning the information is processed within the vehicle to generate warnings rather than being used for general surveillance. The regulation itself does not require continuous recording or transmission of the driver’s video to authorities.
That said, privacy advocates have raised concerns because:
- many implementations rely on inward-facing cameras,
- future connected vehicles could potentially collect additional data,
- privacy practices ultimately depend on each manufacturer’s vehicle design and data policies.
Can drivers turn it off?
This depends on the system and the manufacturer.
Many of these safety systems can be temporarily disabled or adjusted for a journey, but under the General Safety Regulation they generally reactivate automatically when the vehicle is restarted. The regulation is designed so the safety features are active by default.
Why is the EU requiring this?
The European Commission says the measures are part of its Vision Zero strategy to dramatically reduce road deaths. The Commission estimates that the broader package of mandatory safety technologies will prevent many thousands of fatalities and serious injuries over the coming years.
In short, the new rules do not require every new car to constantly record drivers or send video to the government. They do require new vehicles to include systems that monitor driver alertness and, increasingly, distraction, with the goal of issuing warnings before an accident occurs. The exact implementation varies by manufacturer, but many newer models use an inward-facing camera to meet the distraction-monitoring requirements.
