Road safety: Rules introducing a major shift in standard vehicle safety enter into force

On Sunday, 5 January 2020, the revised General Safety Regulation will enter into force. The new rules require that, as of July 2022, all new vehicle models introduced on the European market are equipped with advanced safety features, such as technology to detect drivers’ drowsiness and distraction, improved impact zone to mitigate the risk of injury to pedestrians and cyclists, systems reducing dangerous blind spots on trucks and buses and data recording technology (see full list here). The new features can help reduce significantly the number of fatalities and injuries on our roads. The Regulation is part of the EU’s long-term goal of moving close to zero on the number of serious fatalities and injuries by 2050 (“Vision Zero”). The rules will also pave the way towards an increasingly connected and automated mobility, and boost the global innovation and competitiveness of the European car industry.