Since 7 July 2026, two new safety systems have been mandatory on new cars sold in the European Union. Driver attention monitoring and enhanced emergency braking: here is what changes, for whom, and what the European timetable still holds through to 2029.
Since Tuesday 7 July 2026, a new set of safety features has become mandatory on new vehicles sold in the European Union, under the General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2), officially Regulation (EU) 2019/2144, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in 2019.
In concrete terms, two new systems become mandatory on 7 July: the advanced driver distraction warning, which uses an infrared camera to monitor the driver’s head and eye movements, and advanced emergency braking capable of detecting pedestrians and cyclists, in addition to the vehicle detection already required. In addition, automatic emergency braking, already mandatory on cars and light commercial vehicles, becomes compulsory for the first time on new trucks.
These obligations follow a phased approach. The European regulation does not impose its requirements on all vehicles at once: it proceeds step by step, giving manufacturers time to develop each technology. The distraction warning and advanced emergency braking already existed, but only on new models launched since 2024. Since 7 July, they also apply to older models still in production.
For today’s motorists, these new rules apply only to vehicles registered for the first time after 7 July 2026. There is no need to have anything fitted to your current car, and the roadworthiness test will not check for the presence of this equipment on vehicles already on the road.
A look back at the previous stages
GSR2 came into force on 6 July 2022. A first wave of systems became mandatory at that point: intelligent speed assistance, reversing detection, drowsiness warning, emergency stop signal, cybersecurity measures and reinforced safety glass.
A second stage, in July 2024, added lane-keeping assistance, tyre pressure monitoring for vans, buses and trucks, as well as event data recorders, a kind of automotive black box.
The next deadlines
The timetable does not end there. On 7 January 2029, a final measure will require improved direct vision for heavy goods vehicles, to better spot pedestrians and cyclists close to the vehicle. Event data recorders will also become mandatory on all new trucks, buses and coaches on that date, following an initial application to recent models from January 2026.
According to the European Commission, all these measures should help prevent more than 25,000 deaths and 140,000 serious injuries on European roads by 2038.
