EU mandates driver-facing cameras in all new cars
What it really says
Since July 7, 2026, every newly registered car, truck, or bus in the EU must include an Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW) system. The system uses an infrared camera, typically mounted on the steering column or dashboard, to track the driver's head position and gaze direction. If the driver looks away from the road for more than 3.5 seconds at speeds above 50 km/h, or more than 6 seconds between 20 and 50 km/h, a warning is triggered. The legal basis is EU Regulation 2019/2144 (General Safety Regulation), whose third and final phase took effect on July 7, 2026. According to EU requirements, the system must function as a closed-loop architecture: no facial recognition, no biometric analysis, no data storage or external transmission. Drivers can manually deactivate the system, but it automatically reactivates with each engine start. The European Commission estimates the overall GSR package will prevent over 25,000 deaths and 140,000 serious injuries by 2038.
Our assessment
Since July 7, every new EU vehicle must have an infrared camera monitoring the driver's gaze. The EU promises: no facial recognition, no data storage, closed system. The problem is enforcement. No independent audit mechanism currently verifies whether manufacturers actually comply. Volvo has already admitted to processing driver monitoring data on external cloud servers. In the US, GM, Hyundai, and Kia were caught selling driving behavior data to data brokers who passed it to insurance companies. Concerns about mission creep are therefore not unfounded. At the same time: driver distraction causes approximately 25 percent of all fatal accidents in the EU. The system only warns, it does not brake and officially stores nothing. The fear of total surveillance is overblown based on the current regulation, but the demand for independent oversight is legitimate.
Relevance for Germany
This regulation affects every German who buys or leases a new car from July 7, 2026 onward. All major brands sold in Germany (VW, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Opel, Skoda, Toyota, Hyundai) must now install the technology in all new vehicles. The GDPR applies in addition to the EU regulation: manufacturers that store or share data would violate German and European data protection law. Germany's federal and state data protection authorities would have jurisdiction. Used car buyers are not affected: the mandate only applies to new registrations. The ADAC recommends researching each manufacturer's data processing practices before purchasing.
Fact check
The ADDW mandate from July 7, 2026 for all new registrations is confirmed by the official European Commission press release and Regulation 2019/2144 (EUR-Lex). The technical thresholds (3.5 seconds above 50 km/h, 6 seconds between 20 and 50 km/h) come from Delegated Regulation C(2023)4523. The figure of 25,000 prevented deaths by 2038 comes from the Commission's impact assessment for the entire GSR package. Privacy concerns regarding Volvo cloud processing and GM/Hyundai/Kia data selling are documented by CyberNews and AllAboutCookies.org but refer to existing telematics systems in the US, not specifically to the ADDW system. The regulation mandates a closed-loop architecture without data storage; whether all manufacturers comply in practice has not been independently verified.
Source
- • https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/safer-cars-safer-roads-new-rules-take-effect-2026-07-08_en
- • https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32019R2144
- • https://cybernews.com/security/eu-car-camera-monitoring/
- • https://tarnkappe.info/artikel/it-sicherheit/datenschutz/eu-kamerapflicht-fuer-neuwagen-331283.html