European Union

Europe Requires Cameras in Cars To Monitor Drivers

The E.U. pulls ahead of the U.S. in the creepy international automobile surveillance race.

J.D. Tuccille | 7.17.2026 7:00 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Illustration: Midjourney)

Give the world's control freaks credit where it's due: No matter how creepy their proposals are, there's always another nanny someplace eager to double down with an even more intrusive scheme. So, as Americans debate the wisdom of drunk-driver kill switch mandates for cars, their counterparts in Europe now require that new vehicles include in-car cameras that constantly monitor drivers. The result is an escalating race in government-dictated automobile surveillance that we'll all have to pay for, even if we plan to bypass or sabotage it once we're off the lot.

You are reading The Rattler from J.D. Tuccille and Reason. Get more of J.D.'s commentary on government overreach and threats to everyday liberty.

Facebook

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Email(Required)

SUBSCRIBE

Your Car Will Watch and Prod You for 'Distraction'

"Thanks to the EU's General Safety Regulation, many safety systems have already been mandatory for all newly registered cars and vans since 2024," the European Commission boasted earlier this month. "Starting on 7 July 2026, these vehicles will now be subject to even more advanced safety requirements." Among the list of mandated technologies car companies must include at customers' expense is an "advanced driver distraction warning system to keep drivers focused."

The regulation specifies that "driver drowsiness and attention warning and advanced driver distraction warning systems shall be designed in such a way that those systems do not continuously record nor retain any data other than what is necessary in........

© Reason.com