Improving Road Safety: New Vehicles to Be fitted with Mandatory Life-Saving Technology

Dev’s law, a campaign that has been ongoing since 2018, has been given the green light by the Government. This new legislation will make it a requirement that all new vehicles in Britain will be fitted with new technology that will, hopefully, save more lives on the road.

The campaign was established in 2018 when Dev, an 8-year-old boy, was killed on a stretch of the smart motorway on the M6 near Birmingham. Meera, Dev’s mother and campaigner, pressed for all vehicles to be fitted with Autonomous Emergency Braking (“AES”), which Meera believes could have saved Dev’s life. According to the RAC, AES warns a driver of upcoming danger, before applying the brakes automatically should the driver not respond within due time. The braking time and force will vary depending on the situation.

The Consultation

The Department for Transport’s consultation, which ran from 07 January – 11 May, has made various proposals, including:-

• Mandating 18 new vehicle safety technologies;
• An alcohol interlock interface facilitation technology;
• Technical requirements for vehicle safety technologies; and
• Many more: Mandating vehicle safety technologies in GB type approval: government response

These 18 new technologies include features such as:-

• Advanced distraction warning
• Drowsiness and attention warning
• Emergency lane-keeping systems
• Emergency braking for cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles
• Event data recording
• Emergency stop signals.

Support and Concerns

Brake, a charity that has long-campaigned alongside Meera, has said:-

“We welcome the Government’s commitment to requiring life-saving vehicle safety technology for new vehicles sold in Britain. This is a pivotal moment for road safety and will go a long way in protecting people from preventable death and serious injury… these technologies are proven to reduce both the frequency and the severity of crashes, and requiring their introduction by law has the potential to save thousands of lives, spare families from devastating loss, and make our roads safer for everyone.”

The mandatory technologies have received significant support, but their effective implementation will depend on:-

• Clear communication on what the technology can and cannot do
• Driver education and public information
• Suitable arrangements for maintenance, calibration, repair and monitoring.

With these new implementations, Britain will be closer to Australia and Northern Ireland in relation to safer vehicles and roads. Additionally, the Government believes that implementing these new 18 vehicle safety technologies can improve road safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries, especially among vulnerable road users.

The Government recognises ongoing concerns in relation to:-

• false alerts
• driver distraction
• real-world performance
• repair and calibration
• data privacy

These concerns will be considered, and the Government plans to work alongside the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Next Steps

Depending on the vehicle type and when the vehicle has been completed, these new requirements will be required between 12 months – 3 years.