Nanny State

European Cars Are Spying on Their Drivers. The Same Tech Could Be Coming to the U.S.

New cars in the E.U. must now have cameras that track drivers' eyes and flag distractions.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | From the October 2026 issue

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European cars are now tasked with more than just moving people from one locale to another. A new safety regulation that applies to the 27 countries in the European Union (E.U.) requires automobiles to spy on their passengers too.

As of July 7, all new passenger vehicles sold in the E.U. had to come equipped with "advanced driver distraction warning" systems that watch for signs of "distraction" and, upon detecting them, issue a visual and an audio or tactile warning. Cars will warn drivers whose gaze drifts for more than three to six seconds, depending on their speed.

To comply with this mandate, cars will have to fix........

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