The Government is reportedly ‘actively considering’ aligning Britain’s vehicle safety regulations with a sweeping set of EU rules that mandate 19 advanced safety systems in all new cars.

The regulations, known as GSR2 (General Safety Regulation 2), came into force across the European Union on 7 July 2024 – but Britain, post-Brexit, is under no obligation to adopt them.

However, speaking in the House of Lords on 19 March, Transport Minister Lord Henry confirmed that the Government is currently reviewing the full suite of technologies to assess which are “right for Great Britain”. These include systems such as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), Emergency Lane Keeping Systems (ELKS), and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).

While many of these technologies are already installed in new vehicles sold in the UK, due to manufacturers standardising models for international markets, their inclusion has sparked controversy. A recent survey by consumer group Which? revealed that over half (54%) of UK drivers switch off at least one of these features, often describing them as “annoying, distracting or even dangerous”.

Intelligent Speed Assistance and Driver Disengagement

One of the most contentious technologies is ISA. Designed to detect speed limits and either alert the driver or limit the car’s speed automatically, ISA must be active by default under EU rules. Drivers may deactivate it at the start of each journey, but it resets every time the car is restarted. Nearly half (46%) of motorists with ISA installed reported switching it off, citing discomfort with the system overriding driver input or frequent ‘bonging’ alerts.

Lane-keep assist systems were also frequently disabled – with 42% of drivers turning them off, often due to false activations on narrow roads or potential conflicts with cyclists and parked vehicles. Notably, complaints from MG4 EV owners last year raised concerns that lane-keep systems could, in some cases, steer vehicles towards danger rather than away from it.

Emergency braking systems, drowsiness detection, and blind-spot monitoring were similarly unpopular among a significant number of drivers, who questioned their necessity or found them intrusive.

Manufacturers Already Implementing GSR2

Despite the backlash from some UK motorists, most carmakers have already implemented these systems. An investigation by This is Money found that nearly all of the top 32 selling brands in the UK – representing 98.9% of the new car market – had either already installed Intelligent Speed Assistance or intended to do so by the July 2024 deadline.

Thatcham Research, a leading authority on vehicle safety, has urged the UK to keep pace with Europe on crash avoidance tech. Principal engineer Yousif Al Ani stated: “Modern vehicles do a good job protecting occupants in crashes, but passive safety systems have limited benefit to vulnerable road users. Reducing the 11,000 annual KSIs (Killed or Seriously Injured) among VRUs will require widespread use of active safety features.”

Implications for Driving Instructors and Learners

For driving instructors, the increased prevalence of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) presents both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, these features can improve road safety and instil safer habits in learners. On the other, instructors must ensure learners understand how to interact with – and when to override – these technologies.

Should the UK formally adopt the GSR2 rules, it could also mean changes to the driver training and testing regime. For example, instructors may need to educate pupils about how ISA functions and ensure they’re aware of its limitations and how to manage its alerts.

As this debate continues, instructors are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the 19 safety systems included in GSR2, assess how they operate in their tuition vehicles, and provide balanced, evidence-based guidance to learners.