New duty assistants

New rules for the technical equipment of cars will apply from the summer. A whole series of previously optional assistants will then be mandatory - including some that are quite controversial.

Ab Summer should cars become even safer. As of July 6, one occurs EU regulation comes into force, which makes numerous assistance systems mandatory for new passenger car models. Some are known and proven, others are quite controversial.

As is usual in such cases, the introduction should take place in stages. Initially, the obligation only applies to passenger car types newly registered in the EU. As a rule, these are completely new models or new model generations that received their type approval after the deadline. However, since there are some exceptions and you rarely remember the exact date of certification, this is only a rough guide. It will be easier from 2024, when the rules will apply to all new cars. By then, however, the assistants should have gradually made their way into most cars, and many are already on board numerous models.

Emergency Brake Assist

It is also often part of the standard today - also because the crash test organization EuroNCAP rates its presence very positively in the image-boosting star award. The assistant recognizes obstacles by camera, radar or lidar and brakes the car independently if a collision is imminent. There are currently numerous variants with different scopes of performance, but in the future the detection of fixed and moving obstacles must work in any case. Later it should also reliably identify cyclists and pedestrians.

Expenditure: Low – a windshield camera is essentially sufficient, which is usually already standard above the small car class in Germany.

boundaries: So far, sensors have not reliably detected all obstacles, cameras, for example, get out when visibility is poor.

acceptance: high

Active lane keeping assistant

Like many emergency brake assistants, the lane departure warning system uses the on-board camera. If the car moves too much in the direction of the central reservation or the right edge of the road, there is a steering impulse. Many current systems only work with warning tones - that will no longer be enough in the future. Instead, the assistant has to intervene relatively hard in the steering if it recognizes a danger. As a rule, the system requires clearly visible lane markings for orientation. If this is missing, it deactivates itself. Newer variants also recognize unpaved hard shoulders.

Expenditure: Low - the multifunctional camera behind the pane fulfills so many functions that it is now almost standard in most classes.

boundaries: As with all camera assistants, a good view is a prerequisite for it to work.

acceptance: high

speed assistant

Various speed limiters are already available today, which use data from the navigation system or traffic sign recognition, for example. The new variant – called ISA (“Intelligent Speed ​​Adaptation”) – is now intended to network the information. It warns the driver if the speed is too high and automatically throttles the engine power. However, there is no braking, the driver would still have to do that. However, he can also overrule the technology, for example during an overtaking maneuver - and even switch off the system. However, it is active again after the next engine start.

Expenditure: Medium - most of the technology is already on board in many current models. But without an internet connection and up-to-date navigation data, it shouldn't work.

boundaries: At the moment, the traffic sign recognition is convincing in very few models. When it comes to navigation data, online devices look better, but they also have problems with temporary limits.

acceptance: Doubtful - if ISA is annoying, it will be issued. If you know how, you can do it permanently.

adaptive break light

If the brake light of the vehicle in front flickers alarmingly and perhaps the hazard warning lights also switch on, there is a problem. In the future, all brake lights must be able to handle this special warning. When it is activated depends primarily on the deceleration performance, but also on the force and speed with which the brake pedal is operated. There are also other factors such as the speed driven.

Expenditure: Low - the control units and sensors are on board anyway.

boundaries: If the person behind is asleep, even the wildest flickering will not help.

acceptance: high

Accident data storage

So far, a black box has been known mainly from airplanes, where it is supposed to help in investigating the causes after accidents. In the future, it will also do this in the car, although it should contribute less to clarifying the individual question of guilt and more to help accident research. In the background, the device constantly reads information such as vehicle speed, braking time, position and inclination of the vehicle on the road as well as the activation status of all safety systems.

However, only the data shortly before, during and after an accident is permanently stored - the legislator calls this "event-related data recording". However, the basis for sending it to authorities or institutions is that the last four digits of the vehicle identification number and information about the owner or holder are not passed on.

Expenditure: Medium – the box in the format of a lunch box costs money and, above all, needs the limited space in the car.

boundaries: The box cannot be deactivated and should therefore certainly provide information.

acceptance: Low – especially psychological reservations are likely to play a role.

fatigue warning

Microsleep is the reason for one in four fatal highway accidents, experts believe. Even if it is probably mainly overtired professional drivers and truck drivers who are affected by the momentary nodding off, many cars are already observing their drivers and their behavior to identify signs of dwindling concentration. Unusually hectic steering movements or an increasing number of braking interventions serve as parameters.

Some systems also monitor the driver's eyes using an inward-facing camera to detect closed eyelids or roving gaze directions. In the event of suspected fatigue, an acoustic and visual warning is given, and some car models also suggest a fitness program with special music, special lighting and fresh air. But there is no forced break. With the advent of automated driving functions, video surveillance of the interior in particular should become standard.

Expenditure: Low – at least the components required for steering monitoring are largely standard today.

boundaries: Even a reasonable warning does not help if the driver is under time pressure or overestimates his fitness level and refuses to take a break.  

acceptance: Medium - camera systems in particular can be perceived as encroaching depending on how they are programmed.

reversing assistant

Since good all-round visibility has fallen victim to design considerations in many vehicles, parking beepers and reversing cameras have become almost indispensable. The EU regulation does not prescribe which of the two should be on board, but wants pedestrians or other vehicles to be recognized when reversing.

Expenditure: Low – already standard in many models above the subcompact class or available for little money

boundaries: Ultrasonic sensors have blind spots, cameras often suffer from dirty lenses, especially in winter.

acceptance: high

Tire pressure monitoring

Tire pressure monitoring systems have been mandatory for cars since 2014. What is new in summer is that vans, trucks and buses must also be equipped with the air pressure warning system. In principle, there are two different variants of the "Tire Pressure Monitoring System" (TPMS), which indirectly uses the wheel speed to check whether the circumference of a tire is decreasing, which is an indication of air loss. Direct systems measure the air pressure directly in all four tires. In both cases, driving with too little pressure is to be prevented, which on the one hand impairs driving stability and on the other increases consumption and environmental damage. 

Expenditure: Zero – at least for cars

boundaries: There are false alarms, especially when there are fluctuations in the outside temperature, systems that measure directly require their own sensors for each set of tires – i.e. for winter and summer tires, which increases the costs for the owner.

acceptance: high

Preparation for Alko-Lock

Driving under the influence of alcohol is one of the main causes of accidents. Systems are already available today that only allow the engine to start if the driver has previously demonstrated his sobriety using an integrated breath tester. The tester itself will not be mandatory in the future either, but the preparation for its installation will be. Such a check could be particularly interesting for professional drivers. An installation requirement for notorious alcohol abuse would also be conceivable.

Expenditure: Medium - the necessary electronics and the connection point must be available.

boundaries: Unclear - test devices themselves would have to function safely and reliably and, above all, over a long period of time.

acceptance: Medium - at least hardly anyone would have anything against the existence of the preparation, but in principle one could rate the technique as encroaching.

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