From 1 July, these are the mandatory systems on all new cars

The day has arrived: 1 July is the official start of summer and the day the Operación Salida is activated, and it is also the date from which certain safety systems become mandatory on all cars that are type-approved from today.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to change anything on your car, nor will you be required to have this equipment from today. These measures apply to vehicles that pass type approval from this date onward. That is, they will have to include them when they are registered, but the systems do not need to be present on cars already approved.

With these changes, a considerable number of accidents and fatalities are expected to be avoided over the year. Estimates put the number of deaths avoided over the next 18 years at 25,000, and regarding seriously injured people, up to 14,000 people are expected to avoid serious injuries in that period.

These are the ADAS that new cars will incorporate from today:

Anti-start alcohol interlock
• : This system will not be present from the outset, but every vehicle must have the pre-installation for the alcohol interlock. The obligation is not yet established by law, so it is not necessary to fit the equipment, only the pre-installation. The anti-start alcohol interlock will prevent the car from starting if the permitted alcohol level is exceeded.

Lane Departure Warning

• : This system is already well known because several models currently fit it. It warns the driver with a signal if the car is leaving its lane without the indicator being used. This system can be combined with Lane Keeping Assist, which helps the car correct its path if the driver does not notice the manoeuvre.

Seat belt reminder for all seats

• : Normally, the car emits an audible and visual signal when the driver or front passenger is not wearing their seat belt. From 1 July, this signal must also be activated when passengers in the rear seats are not wearing theirs.

Intelligent Speed Assistance

• : Known as ISA, it links Adaptive Cruise Control with traffic sign recognition. In this way, when the vehicle exceeds the speed limit of the road it is on, it issues a warning to adjust speed to the limit and, if the speed is not changed, it can do so independently and automatically.

Black box

• : Known as EDR, it records driving-related information and is used to analyse the causes of road accidents. The data are processed anonymously and for statistical purposes. It will not be used to assign blame, and it records the vehicle’s data from 30 seconds before an accident up to five minutes afterwards.