In-cabin cameras will also be installed to detect seatbelt misuse. Palao said: “Some taxi drivers, for example, who find the seatbelt uncomfortable, bypass the alarm system with fake buckles, but a camera will detect this and trigger an audible warning.
“Using a camera, it will also be possible to detect If a passenger has their feet on the dashboard and how close individuals are sitting to the airbags.”
What about hands-off driving?
Semi-autonomous car technology is expected to become more widely available in the next decade – but some firms already offer it today.
Last month, the Netherlands Vehicle Authority gave Tesla permission to deploy its optional Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised system an Model 3 and Model Y cars on Dutch roads. The system, which went live in the US several years ago, enables the car to drive itself from point to point, albeit with the driver’s eyes fixed on the road.
Other car makers offer systems that are similar but more limited. Ford’s BlueCruise, for example, has the same semi-autonomy as FSD but is regulated for use in designated ‘Blue Zones’ only, which are mostly motorways.
Mercedes-Benz’s level-three Drive Pilot system an option for the S-Class and EQS saloons – can be used only on specific roads in Germany, California and Nevada, only in traffic, only at up to 40mph and only where the weather is clear and road markings are visible.
Palao didn’t criticise FSD but questioned aspects of its implementation. especially given Tesla’s lack of participation in Europe’s safety programmes.
“It’s a breakthrough system, but what is Euro NCAP’s role?” he asked. “We liaise with Tesla but the company is planning its own roadmap without collaborating with us, and we need to understand if it is doing so in a safe manner.”
Palao said Euro NCAP’s ignorance of Tesla’s methods extended to FSD’s driver monitoring technology: “What does it mean for the driver to have their eyes on the road with this system? They could be watching a film on their phone mounted on the steering wheel, fooling the system they are looking at the road. We don’t have enough information to say whether it is good or bad.”
