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Towards greater road safety: new rules and technology

3 min to readMobility
Car manufacturers are putting more and more emphasis on safety and we can only be happy about that. Road safety is a top priority. From the new General Safety Regulation (GSR) to EuroNCAP's stricter requirements and increasing focus on digital safety, the car industry is gearing up for a safer and smarter era. In this blog, we discuss the key changes that will help us achieve the path to zero road casualties.
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General Safety Regulation

The European Union aims to have zero road deaths on its territory by 2050. To achieve that goal, the EU took an important step forward in road safety this summer. Indeed, in July this year, the new General Safety Regulation came into force. It requires that all new vehicles within the EU must now be equipped with a comprehensive set of assistance systems, also known as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Which systems are involved, we list them for you:

Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA): This system keeps you informed of the current speed limit. It warns you if you exceed it, with an audible signal and a visual indication on the dashboard. Although you can manually deactivate the system, it does turn it back on automatically with every new drive.

Event Data Recorder (EDR): This system acts as a kind of ‘black box’ for your vehicle. It stores crucial data from a few seconds before and after an accident, helping to investigate the circumstances of incidents without compromising your privacy.

Fatigue and Distraction Warning (DDAW): This system monitors your driving behaviour and issues an alert when it suspects you are tired or distracted.

Emergency braking system: This system can brake independently if a collision is imminent, significantly reducing the risk of accidents.

Lane assist: This system helps you stay within your lane and actively corrects if you unintentionally change course.

Enhanced seatbelts, reversing cameras and parking sensors: All these systems contribute to a safer driving experience and help prevent accidents.

Back to real buttons from 2026?

Anyone driving a new vehicle is probably familiar with the phenomenon: many vehicles today are equipped with a large screen on which you control functions such as air conditioning, heating, media and GPS. Only this screen often distracts drivers, and thus touchscreens increase the risk of accidents. This is why EuroNCAP advocates bringing back physical buttons in modern cars. EuroNCAP will award a lower safety score to vehicles that do not have physical controls from January 2026, and thus wants to encourage car manufacturers to reintroduce them.

More focus on cybersecurity

Modern vehicles, and especially electric vehicles (EVs), are packed with technology. This not only provides more safety and comfort, but also brings many challenges. Just think about cybersecurity. As vehicles are increasingly connected to the internet and software-driven, the risk of cyber attacks is growing. Therefore, there is an increasing focus on digital security within the automotive industry.

To address these threats, the UN launched two key regulations in summer 2020: UNECE R 155 and UNECE R 156.

These rules have been in force since 1 July 2024 for all newly manufactured vehicles within the EU. This means that from now on you can count on more protection against digital threats, both when buying a new car and while using it.

New vehicles are becoming increasingly secure thanks to new technology. We at ALD Automotive | LeasePlan can only applaud that.

Published at 18 November 2024
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18 November 2024
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