Labour ‘considers’ adopting EU guidelines forcing all new vehicles to have these 19 security methods
Labour is ‘actively considering’ adopting EU rules to mandate a host of safety technology in all new cars sold in the UK.
More than five years after Brexit, ministers say they are in the process of determining which of 19 safety systems required for models sold in Europe since last summer are ‘right for Britain’, despite UK motorists describing some of the features as ‘dangerous, distracting and useless’.
The European Union’s ‘New Vehicle General Safety Regulation’ – also known as GSR2 or Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 – came into effect across Europe on 7 July 2024.
It demands that all motor vehicles must have a suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), including the likes of Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA), Emergency Lane Keeping Systems (ELKS) and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).
Yet, more than half (54 per cent) of Britons polled in a national survey say they switch off at least one feature like this in their own motors, despite them being designed to help them adhere to speed limits, not veer out of motorway lanes and avoid impending collisions respectively.
Motorists told consumer watchdog Which? they are often infuriated by incessant warning bongs from these systems – or feel too uncomfortable relinquishing control to tech in their cars.
More than five years after Brexit, ministers say they are in the process of determining which of 19 safety systems required for models sold in Europe since last summer are ‘right for Britain’
The topic was a case of discussion earlier this month, with Labour saying it is looking at replicating the EU rules, despite there being no obligation to do so following Britain’s divorce from the European Union on 1 January 2020.
When asked about the UK adopting the same rules by Liberal Democrat transport spokeswoman Baroness Pidgeon on 19 March, Lord Henry, Minister of State at the Department for Transport, told the House of Lords: ‘Prior to the United Kingdom leaving the EU, UK officials had worked on the range of 19 new vehicle technologies that she refers to.
‘The Government have commissioned analysis to determine which of those technologies are right for Great Britain.
‘This is under really active consideration at the moment.’
GRS2 regulations have been introduced over a three-phase period in the EU, beginning in July 2022.
Included among the 19 mandatory features demanded for new cars entering European showrooms from 7 July 2024 is ISA.
This automatic speed limiter system can detect speed limits and warn drivers with repeated audible alerts and vibration of the steering wheel if they are exceeding it – and can even automatically limit the car’s engine power if a motorist refuses to slow down.
The EU rules stipulate that ISA cannot be permanently disabled and instead has to automatically activate each time the vehicle starts. It is then up to the driver if they want to turn it off before each journey.
Intelligent Speed Assistance is only mandated for new models sold in the EU from 7 July 2024. However, This is Money exclusively revealed last year that it will be fitted to almost all UK cars as mainstream manufacturers confirm they will equip their new models with these systems
Under the EU GSR2 regulation, ISA must be active every time the car’s engine starts – but there also must be the option for drivers to turn it off for each journey. Volume-selling brands have told us how to do this in their new vehicles
Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning (DDAW) is also demanded of all new models sold in Europe.
This system detect signs of driver fatigue or distraction and again sounds a warning alarm to the user.
Another requirement is for Alcohol Interlock Installation Facilitation (AIIF).
This makes it easier to fit aftermarket alcohol interlock devices in vehicles if governments are to future legislate that former drink drive offenders need to have them fitted to their cars requiring them to blow a zero sample before it allows the engine to be started.
Yousif Al Ani, principal engineer at UK-based automotive risk intelligence specialist Thatcham Research, said: ‘Crash avoidance is the future of automotive safety.
‘Modern vehicles are very good at protecting occupants in the event of a collision through passive safety features, such as airbags and crumple zones, but these have limited benefit to Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs).
‘KSI [killed or seriously injured] statistics amongst VRUs remain stubbornly high at more than 11,000 each year.
‘The key to reducing these numbers is through the wider introduction of active crash avoidance systems.’
Most of the EU mandated safety features as part of GSR2 regulations – like emergency lane keep systems – are already installed in new models in UK showrooms today. Here’s why
Most of these features are already in new UK models…
As Lord Henry pointed out in the House of Lords earlier this month, because the car manufacturing industry is ‘international’, many vehicles sold in Britain in the last year – and prior – will already comply with GSR2.
Thatcham says car makers have applied the system to new models sold in the UK over concerns it could ‘be at risk of falling behind in automotive safety by not adopting it’.
This is Money also found this to be the case during an investigation into the application of ISA last year.
We contacted the 32 top-selling brands in the UK in 2024 (which represent 98.9 per cent of the new car market) to find out if their UK models will be equipped with Intelligent Speed Assistance from 7 July – and what is the protocol to turn it off before each journey.
Almost all said they either already are or will be installing the tech.
Most of the features mandated under GSR2 regulation are already fitted to most new cars sold in the UK. This includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
Drivers finding EU-mandated systems too intrusive
Al Ani explained that with the requirement to install ADAS in modern cars, vehicle manufacturers will ‘need to address concerns from drivers that these systems, such as Emergency Lane Keeping Systems, interfere with their driving experience’.
He added: ‘Striking a balance between safety, performance, and integration to create systems that cooperate with drivers is a real challenge for manufacturers.’
But a recent poll of 1,500 UK drivers by Which? found that many motorists are already frustrated by such technology.
The consumer watchdog found that speed assist is being switched off by nearly half (46 per cent) of users who have it installed in their motors.
Most people surveyed said they had disabled this function because they felt they didn’t need it.
Lane-keep assist was the second safety feature most likely to be disabled according to Which?’s survey (42 per cent).
Half of those who said they switch it off did so because they found it either dangerous, annoying or distracting.
On-board cameras and sensors detect lane and road-edge markings and manoeuvre the driver into staying in their lane but this may be flawed while driving on narrow roads and can fail to account for cyclists or parked cars.
Last year, Which? and This is Money received hundreds of complaints from MG4 EV owners who told both us and the consumer watchdog that the system in their Chinese electric cars would steer them into danger rather than help them to avoid it.
The third safety feature drivers were likely to switch off according to the Which? survey was emergency braking (34 per cent).
Elsewhere, almost another third said they had turned off the attention or drowsiness monitoring feature.
Three in 10 motorists also told Which? they switch off their blind-spot monitoring feature because they didn’t need it, or they found it distracting or annoying.
