EU requires all new cars to have cameras facing the driver’s face to monitor their behaviour

[NutellaEllaElla]

https://www.carscoops.com/2026/07/eu-driver-monitoring-mandate/

Is anyone else unhappy about this? I hate how technology is invading my life. In my car it gets speed limits wrong all the time, it fights me trying to change lanes without indicating (and I don’t need to, again the car doesn’t know), there’s just so much it gets wrong and the tech itself is a distraction. I’m all for options, but I want to be able to turn it off as well please. Is there no end? Can we resist??

There’s usually a customisable button somewhere you can utilise to turn it off. Have you googled?

As for the camera if they want your eyes on the road, which is totally fair enough, why are they getting rid of all the switches and buttons. Adjusting the AC on my new car is 3 steps through a touch screen. On DH’s 5 year old car it’s literally just turning a dial down a notch.

Anything that stops serious car accidents, I'm fine with.

I have this in my new car and love it.
I have become much more alert when driving and not getting distracted as easily.
I think anything that will help with distractions and accidents is a good thing!

There’s usually a customisable button somewhere you can utilise to turn it off

Dh and I looked into it and couldn't find out how, but I'm heartened this might still be an option.

Once my baby got woken up by one of these needless alarms, and he didn't used to nap easily except in the car, and the rage I felt... the absolute rage... was not good for my driving.

Haven't they done any studies on how elevated stress levels affect driving? I just want a calm driving experience without being beeped at.

Collision warnings need to piss off for a start. They are constantly going off if you drive too close to a hedge or anything. It is so so stressful

Even the road user (or pedestrian) who isn't there?

I'm observant enough when driving to know if there is someone who around who will benefit from an indicator and there often isn't.

If it's just an 'attention monitor' I can't see an issue. If they were really clever, they could transmit a signal blocker if it observes illegal phone use.

My car tells me a certain point on the M23 has a 100mph speed limit. No idea wtf that is about. I've ignored it though, just like when it tells me it's 30mph limit in the 20mph village I drive through regularly. They need to sort that sort of thing out before adding more stuff that will probably go off at the wrong time.

So the EU manufacturers only build cars for the EU?

I’m so glad my car is ancient and doesn’t have loads of new fangled gadgets. Electric windows and an electric roof are as technical as it gets thankfully. Not sure I could cope with a car screeching at me inanely all the time.

You might well be, but I can promise you there are plenty who aren’t sufficiently observant.

Loads of cars have lane correction now. You can alter it! I find I’m better at indicating now and it’s no bad thing. In car monitors are there to alert you to intention. No bad thing really.

Why don't you just use your indicators for every manoeuvre? It's literally flicking the lever up or down.

Yes, because you should be doing it automatically rather than making a conscious decision on whether to signal or not every time you do it.

Though you’ve now given an excellent explanation for why I see so many people forgetting to signal on roundabouts before they take first or third exits - they just got to thinking of other things and don’t signal automatically so it just doesn’t happen at all!

I have one with the speed limit indicator which gets it wrong all the time, and a lane changing nazi which, because I live in France where there are no lines on the road for over half my journeys; it tries to keep me in the middle and if I move over to let another car past it violently wrenches the wheel to get me back in the middle.

It also beeps an emergency alarm to put hands on the steering wheel, but because my hands are not built like Brutus, gripping the wheel like a can of spinach being opened, it doesn't register so you think 'what the fuck is happening' when the emergency alarm goes off, when nothing is happening. Which means I just systematically turn the whole system off as soon as I get in the car.

My husbands new car already has this. It monitors his eyes then flashes a warning up saying ‘driver distracted’ if he’s not looking at the road at all times! Scary!

I can turn it off on my mini and a relative has a volvo that also allows it to be turned off so there hopefully is a way. It’s not like I want to speed or anything but as you say it often gets it wrong!!

I’ve also had problems with the emergency breaking trying to stop me parking outside my house because of a piddly few leaves from a tree that slightly overhang the parking bay. When it kicks in it’s really violent too and you have to let it do it once to then have the option to turn it off.

It will just come default switched on for EU motorists and as an optional for UK ones.

They build right hand drive cars for the UK.

I'm pretty sure that advanced drivers would say you shouldn't be doing it automatically as that doesn't mean you're alert and seeing if anybody actually is around. If you're assessing whether you need indicators, you're paying more attention to the road.

I'm think that's what I've read, anyway.

Christ. There’s a lot of enshittificarion out there (Netflix and Amazon charging subscriptions and showing you ads in the middle of programmes anyway is my biggest one), but reducing road traffic accidents really doesn’t strike me as something I’d want to campaign against.

I have a budget basic car that seems to think i haven't got a brain!! It gets the speed limit wrong, alerts me for perceived transgressions- winds me up. Why do they need to see our faces?

There's far too many useless dangerous drivers that think they're 'advanced drivers'. Just use your indicators for every manoeuvre. It's far safer than forgetting.

They do already.

Is everyone not buying Chinese cars now anyway? Every 2nd car I pass is a Jaecoo 🤣which probably have in-built "spying" tech anyway 😂

In my case, wrenching the car into the middle of the road straight into another car would definitely be causing more accidents not less. They design these things without thinking through all eventualities and so make things worse.

The conscious decision is to change lanes and do your checks. The signal happens after “mirrors” for a reason, because you should reach to do it automatically as soon as your brain says “clear and safe to change lanes.”

Lots of lorry drivers in my family, they hate bad drivers who don’t signal too.