EU Mandates Emergency Brake Assist for New Cars as Germany Rolls Out AI Protection for Highway Workers
Published on 06/16/2026 at 19:07 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A bundle of safety initiatives across Europe is targeting road traffic from multiple angles — from a July 7 deadline that forces all newly registered passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in the European Union to include advanced emergency braking systems, to an AI-based collision-warning pilot tested on Austrian highways.
The new EU regulation, which covers vehicle classes M1 and N1, requires that emergency brake assistants reliably detect pedestrians and cyclists. Emergency lane-keeping assistants will become mandatory even for vehicles with hydraulic steering, and a built-in concentration monitor is designed to spot driver inattention. Larger crumple zones at the front of vehicles are also mandated to reduce the impact of collisions.
Parallel to the regulatory push, the German Road Safety Council (DVR) has teamed up with accident insurers and employers' liability insurance associations to issue an updated training guide on road safety at work. The material addresses typical hazard situations in daily commutes and work-related driving, and aims to strengthen employees' sense of personal responsibility. Interactive checklists for public authorities are also now available, allowing federal and state bodies to systematically review their safety measures for official trips and commuting.
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On Austrian motorways, the motorway operator Asfinag and the auto club ÖAMTC launched a joint safety offensive on Tuesday. In 2025, Austria recorded 2,137 injury accidents on motorways and expressways, 45 of them fatal. Asfinag itself experienced six accidents involving its own staff. A new collision-warning system relies on artificial intelligence: special cameras detect approaching vehicles from up to 300 metres away. If a collision threat is identified, drivers are warned by horn signal while workers at the roadside receive a vibration alert on a portable receiver. Five cameras are already deployed, 21 more have been purchased, and the trial runs until the end of the year.
In Berlin, vehicle-testing organisation TÜV, together with the Technical University of Munich, conducted a real-world trial of a new inspection methodology for autonomous driving. Their research vehicle, EDGAR, drove from the Federal Transport Ministry to the Berlin Radialsystem entirely under Level-4 conditions. The assessment teams confirmed the concept's practicality but called for a permanent technical supervisor and standardised European interfaces before granting continuous operating approval.
The Deutsche Bahn is now deploying 44 mobile maintenance teams nationwide to repair damage at stations, such as graffiti and defective equipment, more quickly. The urgency of safety along tracks was underscored by two incidents on Monday: a group of 43 people triggered a temporary line closure in Dortmund by illegally crossing the tracks, and near Schönebeck a digger damaged an overhead power line, causing roughly €75,000 of property damage and severe delays to long-distance services.
Classic awareness campaigns continue alongside technical solutions. In Switzerland, the Touring Club Schweiz (TCS) launched the next phase of its school-route initiative, using trucks as advertising space to remind drivers to stop safely for children. In 2025, 388 children were injured on their way to school in Switzerland. In Germany, a regional action is planned for the Day of Road Safety on 20 June in Neuss, featuring simulators and reaction tests to heighten traffic participants’ awareness.
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