The measures include new crash testing requirements, mandatory installation of driver assistance systems including Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, overridable Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) and Lane Keep Assistance (LKA), as well as a new direct vision standard for lorries and buses to enable drivers to have a better view of other road users around their vehicle.
A recent report from Brake and Direct Line, based on a survey of more than 2,000 UK drivers, found that drivers support these measures, with nearly 9 in 10 agreeing that all new cars should be fitted with the latest life-saving safety features as standard.
The report also found that more than half of drivers would not spend more on a new car to ensure it had AEB, ISA or LKA, highlighting how the EU’s regulatory action will help deliver the life-saving potential of these technologies for all.
Brake also asked drivers their views on what should happen to our vehicle safety standards post-Brexit and the response was categorical, more than 9 in 10 want car safety standards in the UK to remain at least as high as those across the EU, post Brexit.
Commenting, Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: “This is a landmark day for road safety. These measures will provide the biggest leap forward for road safety this century, perhaps even since the introduction of the seat belt. These lifesaving measures come at a vital time, with road safety in a concerning period of stagnation with more than 70 people still being killed or seriously injured on British roads every day.
“The Government must commit to adopting these lifesaving regulations, no matter what happens with Brexit, with a recent Brake and Direct Line report finding that 9 in 10 UK drivers wanted car safety standards in the UK to remain at least as high as those in the EU, post-Brexit.”
Notes to editors:
[1] Survey of 2010 drivers, undertaken by external research agency Surveygoo in 2018 and contained within Brake and Direct Line report on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.