The EU is poised to approve requirements for assisted driving features in all new cars, ultimately making purchasing a car more expensive for everyone.
Though still to be approved by the commission, certain technologies will become part of every standard car features package from July 7, 2024.
The new requirements include the mandatory installation of “event-related data storage” (or a “black box”) which stores anonymized driving data that can be reviewed in the event of an accident. Additionally, all new cars will have to have an emergency brake assistant. Emergency brake lights will be mandatory, as will a reversing assistant—which provides the driver with information about people and objects behind the vehicle when moving backwards.
Assistance systems are computer-controlled features that allow the car to take over certain tasks or provide alerts designed to make driving safer. They include automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, and adaptive cruise control.
While designed to make driving safer, they also make cars more expensive to both own and maintain. The number of relatively inexpensive, small, and simple cars on the market has dramatically decreased in recent years, accelerated by the stricter emissions regulations that ultimately require integrating electric batteries in cars to varying extents. In a changing market, car manufacturers are increasingly producing more expensive cars with luxury features that sell at higher profit margins.
