New cars in the EU will receive ADDW – a warning system for distracted driving

From July 7, 2026, all new cars in EU must have driver distraction warning system. The machine will determine Is the driver looking at the road?

We’re talking about Advanced Driver Distraction Warning —ADDW. This system should detect when the driver is visually distracted from driving: looking away from the road, interacting with multimedia, looking away for a long time, or using the phone. Announced the new rules European Commissionindicating that from July 7, 2026, additional safety requirements will apply to new cars and vans.

The legal basis is laid in the European regulation on general vehicle safety. EU documents indicate that ADDW systems are mandatory for new types of vehicles from July 7, 2024, and from July 7, 2026 The requirement applies to all new cars. EUR-Lex: Advanced Driver Distraction Warning.

What exactly should the system do?

ADDW should warn the driver if he is looking for too long in the wrong direction for a person handling several tons of metal. That is, not into the phone, not into the screen, not into the philosophical void, but onto the road. Yes, civilization has again reached the point of having to explain to the driver that he must look forward when driving. Great, we are moving confidently.

According to EU technical requirements, the system must respond to prolonged gaze in the distraction zone. For speeds between 20 and 50 km/h, a warning should be triggered if the driver is distracted for more than 6 seconds. At speeds above 50 km/h the threshold is reduced to approximately 3.5 seconds. These parameters are provided by a specialized review InterRegs.

Simple systems that judge only the behavior of the car – such as steering, lane keeping or trajectory – are not always able to understand where a person is looking. Therefore, manufacturers actually need direct driver monitoring solutions: cameras, infrared sensors and software that analyzes head and eye position.

Which machines are affected?

The requirement applies to new vehicles sold and registered in the EU. The broader General Safety Regulation schedule covers not only passenger cars, but also vans, trucks and buses, although the specific timing and categories depend on the type of vehicle.

Driver monitoring technology company Smart Eye estimates the new rule will affect the market by approximately 15 million cars per year. In a company statement, founder Martin Kranz called July 7 “a landmark day for road safety in Europe.” Smart Eye/Inderes.

This statement, of course, comes from a company that directly benefits from such rules. Therefore, it should be taken as industry commentary, and not as pure public charity. When a technology manufacturer rejoices at the mandatory implementation of its technology, this is not a conspiracy, but it is not monastic selflessness either.

It’s not the same as traffic cameras.

It is important not to confuse ADDW with external traffic cameras. In Greece, a system of AI cameras is already being deployed that record violations: using a phone while driving, wearing a seat belt, speed, running a red light, and other violations. Athens News wrote that such fines have already begun to arrive through Gov.gr. Fines from AI cameras in Greece are already coming to Gov.gr.

ADDW works differently: it is a system inside the car that is supposed to warn the driver himself before his distraction turns into an accident. It does not replace the police and is not an automatic fine. According to the logic of the EU, this is primarily an element of active safety, and not a fiscal mechanism.

However, the issue of trust in such technologies does not go away. Athens News has already reported that AI cameras in Athens made mistakes: they confused phones with vapes, belts with clothes, and even found passengers in empty seats. AI cameras in Athens fined empty seats. Therefore, drivers will have to get used not only to the new functions, but also to the question of how accurately the car understands what is happening to them.

Privacy issue

Direct driver monitoring systems inevitably raise questions about privacy: a camera in the cabin, analysis of the face, head and eye positions sound not like a free person’s dream, but like a small surveillance office on wheels.

The European Commission emphasizes that such systems must operate within data protection requirements. Publications about the new rules also specify that processing must take place inside the vehicle, without turning the interior into a data stream for outside observers. But in practice, much will depend on the specific implementation of the automaker, data storage policy and transparency of settings.

For the buyer, the main practical question is simple: can the system be turned off, how does it warn, does it record images, store data and transmit it anywhere. It’s better to ask your dealer these questions before you buy, and not after the first annoying squeak on the highway.

Part of a wider reform

ADDW is not the only requirement of the new package. The General Safety Regulation is gradually introducing a whole range of systems: intelligent speed assistance, emergency braking, lane departure warning, alcolock preparation and other active safety elements.

Athens News previously explained that from July 2026, new cars in the EU will also have to have a standardized interface to install an alcolock. This does not mean that every driver will blow into the tube before starting the engine, but the cars must be technically ready for such a system. Alcohol locks in cars: what will change from July 2026.

All this shows a general trend: the car remains less and less just a machine and more and more turns into a controlling platform. He monitors speed, lane, fatigue, alcohol, the driver’s gaze and, perhaps soon, how mentally prepared the person is for parking at a supermarket. The roads will become safer, but the debate over digital control will not go away.

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