Overview
- The UK and EU are consulting on rules that could require camera-based driver monitoring in all new cars, with final decisions pending after the review.
- Britain’s Department for Transport says making the systems compulsory could prevent more than 758,000 crashes and 65,000 casualties over 15 years.
- The systems use infrared cameras and software to track a driver’s eyes and head position and can issue alerts or slow the car if the driver does not respond.
- In the United States, a 2021 law requires impaired-driving prevention in new cars, but NHTSA told Congress current detection near the legal limit misreads too often to mandate now.
- Some suppliers claim their tools can spot alcohol and even cannabis impairment, yet those claims lack broad independent validation and experts flag privacy worries and weak real-world enforcement.