The UK’s biggest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has welcomed moves to make autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and other safety systems standard on all new cars in three years’ time, calling it an undoubted life-saver.

IAM was responding to the announcement that new cars, vans, lorries and buses sold in Europe will be fitted with a range of new safety features as standard beginning as soon as 2022. A provisional European Union deal on the legislation was reached on 25 March.

The rules include requirements for AEB which can detect and react to pedestrians and cyclists in front of the vehicle, as well as overridable intelligent speed assistance (ISA), to be fitted as standard for the first time ever. 

New lorries will be expected to have better levels of direct vision to give drivers a better chance of seeing vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Research said, “It should be remembered that excessive speeding is a factor in 14% of fatal crashes whereas human error is present in 64%. Speed limiters have a role to play but on their own cannot eliminate all crashes.”

“ISA as proposed for all new cars after 2022 will be overrideable, so it is not the ‘big brother’ solution that some sources suggest,” he said.