Martin Saarinen

If Euro law demands safety tech as standard, then postBrexit UK should do so, too

HAVE you ever had autonomous emergency braking (AEB) kick in? If the answer is yes, you’ll probably say it was because you weren’t paying enough attention to the road or something happened to which you couldn’t react quickly enough.

But the end result is the same: during those crucial milliseconds the car took over the driving and ensured you avoided an accident that could have put you and others in danger.

Technology such as AEB, lane assist and autonomous cruise control is very much part of a future where accidents are fewer in number and less severe. Manufacturers are busy bringing this tech on, but legislators are starting to think it should no longer be offered as options on higher-spec models.

The European Commission is currently researching whether car makers should be required to fit life-saving tech, such as intelligent speed assistance, rear seatbelt reminders and AEB, as standard in the future. Research by the commission has found road fatalities cost the EU at least 100 billion Euros (£89bn) a year.

The report noted that mandatory new car safety standards haven’t been updated since 2009. The European Transport Safety Council has said that cars meeting the minimum EU safety standards would receive zero stars under Euro NCAP testing.

European Parliament members have now started vocally backing the move to include autonomous safety tech as standard. While the UK will no doubt have left the EU before this becomes law, it’s something a post-brexit Britain should follow. Especially considering the recent four-per-cent rise in road fatalities.