Feel like James Bond - the mandatory technologies in new cars from 2022

Year after year, more and more new technologies appear in our cars. Whether they serve our safety, our comfort or expand the capabilities of the driver and passengers, one thing is certain - the automotive industry is going through one of the fastest-changing periods in its history. On-board computers, parking sensors and driver-assistance systems are slowly becoming standard. Year after year we'll increasingly see hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered cars on the streets, and in the somewhat more distant future perhaps autonomous cars too. Many of these technologies, however, are being introduced not only by specific manufacturers, but through European Union legislation as mandatory car equipment. Cars are becoming more expensive, but also safer and capable of more. On top of that come the costs tied to tighter carbon-dioxide emission restrictions imposed on manufacturers. As Łukasz Paździor, managing director of Mazda Poland, forecasts, as early as 2020 the prices of new cars will rise by 10-20 percent. And that's only the beginning, which is why it's now worth casting a keener eye towards the used-car market.

In the coming years, thanks to new European Parliament regulations, further new technologies - ones that only dreamers could have imagined ten or fifteen years ago - will arrive in our cars as mandatory. Each of the systems presented below is to be mandatory equipment in new cars as early as 2022.

Lane-keeping assist

During a long, monotonous drive it's impossible to keep one-hundred-percent concentration the whole time. To prevent the car from drifting out of its lane, Lane Assist was created - a system that, using cameras mounted at the front of the car, analyses the car's position relative to the painted road lanes. When your vehicle drifts onto a line, the system automatically corrects your course.

Automatic braking system

The automatic braking system, which reduces the risk of an accident, can predict the threat of a collision based on data from cameras and radar. When a potentially dangerous situation arises, the system alerts the driver to it and then automatically initiates the emergency braking procedure.

Blind-spot mirror sensor

Also called a blind-spot assistant, this sensor reduces the danger arising from the blind spot in car mirrors. When a hazard appears within the blind spot, the system immediately notifies the driver with an audible or visual signal.

Alcohol interlock

Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of drunk drivers on the roads? Mandatory from 2022, the alcohol interlock system works with the car's ignition system. To start the engine, the driver will first have to breathe into the „breathalyser” mouthpiece, and only after passing this test can they start the car.

Driver drowsiness monitoring

On a long journey, especially at night, drivers are at risk of a drop in concentration that can have tragic consequences. To reduce that risk, a system comes to the rescue that warns of a decline in the concentration of the person driving the vehicle. Fitted inside the car, they track the movement of the driver's eyes and, when symptoms of drowsiness, fatigue or inattention appear, emit a warning audible or visual signal.

Black box

Associated mainly with aircraft and disaster films, this GPS-type device continuously records the vehicle's parameters, which may prove useful when investigating a potential accident. The system records data including, among others, speed, acceleration, braking, the type of road and the travel time.

Intelligent speed limiter

An intelligent system that warns the driver about observing the permitted speed. A camera placed on the car's windscreen reads the applicable speed limits from road signs and compares them with data supplied by GPS and road maps. On that basis, the technology reduces the car's power to a level that allows driving in line with the rules.

Parking assistant

In the automotive world we can ever more rarely see the once-typical sight of a driver turning around in their seat to see what's behind their car. This technology - invaluable when parking or reversing - uses a camera system to display the view from behind the vehicle on a screen.

Emergency-braking signalling system

A system that warns the driver behind us that we've begun emergency braking. The pulsing STOP light will switch on automatically in the event of sudden deceleration while driving above 55 km/h or when the ABS system engages.

The future arrives tomorrow

Everything therefore indicates that we stand on the threshold of a technological revolution in the automotive industry. New cars will be safer, but they'll also more often take control from the driver, which not everyone may necessarily like. And the need to introduce so many technologies will certainly make new cars even more expensive in the future. That's why, when choosing a new car, it's worth also considering used cars - especially the ones we offer you on very attractive subscriptions at our website carmore.pl.