New cars in the EU and Cyprus will monitor the driver’s gaze from July 7

From July 7, all newly registered cars in the EU and Cyprus must be equipped with a driver attention monitoring system (ADDW). An in-cabin infrared camera tracks the driver’s gaze and head position: if the driver is distracted from the road for more than 3.5 seconds at speeds above 50 km/h, the car emits an audible or vibration alert. The system works locally, without biometrics or data transmission.

The second phase of the GSR2 regulation also tightens requirements for emergency braking in front of pedestrians and for crash protection. The change will raise the price of new cars, but will not affect used vehicles, which account for 63% of the market in Cyprus.