A driver monitoring system is now standard equipment on new cars, vans, buses and trucks sold in the European Union, because the General Safety Regulation (EU) 2019/2144, often called GSR2, requires two separate functions: a drowsiness and attention warning and an advanced driver distraction warning. Both are warning systems, not controls, and both come with privacy limits written into the law.
This explainer covers what each system must do, the dates that apply, how the technology works, what the rules say about data, and what UK fleets should consider when these vehicles join the fleet. It separates EU requirements from the position in Great Britain, which follows its own approval rules.
What GSR2 requires from a driver monitoring system
Regulation (EU) 2019/2144, dated 27 November 2019 and applying from 6 July 2022, lists advanced systems that all motor vehicle categories must have. Two concern the driver’s state:
- Driver drowsiness and attention warning (DDAW): defined in Article 3 as a system that assesses the driver’s alertness through vehicle systems analysis and warns the driver if needed.
- Advanced driver distraction warning (ADDW): a system that helps the driver keep paying attention to the traffic situation and warns when the driver is distracted.
The detailed test procedures sit in two Commission delegated regulations: Regulation (EU) 2021/1341 for DDAW, dated 23 April 2021, and Regulation (EU) 2023/2590 for ADDW, adopted on 13 July 2023 and published on 22 November 2023.
Application dates for DDAW and ADDW
Annex II of the General Safety Regulation assigns each system a phase code, and each code carries two dates: the date from which new vehicle types that do not comply are refused type approval, and the date from which non-compliant new vehicles can no longer be registered.
| System | Vehicle categories | New types refused from | New registrations refused from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drowsiness and attention warning (E2) | M1, M2, M3, N1, N2, N3 | 6 July 2022 | 7 July 2024 |
| Advanced driver distraction warning (E3) | M1, M2, M3, N1, N2, N3 | 7 July 2024 | 7 July 2026 |
The categories cover cars and minibuses, buses and coaches, and goods vehicles of every weight. As of November 2026, therefore, both warnings are required on new vehicles registered in the EU. The European Commission announced the start of the regulation in a press release on 6 July 2022.
How drowsiness and distraction warnings work
The two functions use different evidence and are tested differently.
Drowsiness and attention warning
Under Regulation 2021/1341, DDAW applies to M and N vehicles with a maximum design speed above 70 km/h. It must switch on automatically above 70 km/h and operate between 65 and 130 km/h, or the vehicle’s maximum permitted speed if lower. It must warn when drowsiness reaches level 8 on the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, described as sleepy and needing some effort to stay awake, and may warn at level 7. The driver cannot switch the system off, but can mute its warnings. Normal operation must not use biometric information, including facial recognition, and the system mainly analyses vehicle signals such as lane position and steering input.
Advanced driver distraction warning
Regulation 2023/2590 requires ADDW to monitor where the driver is looking and to detect long visual distraction. It activates automatically above 20 km/h. In nominal conditions a warning is due when the driver’s gaze stays in a defined area away from the road for about 3.5 seconds at 50 km/h or more, or about 6 seconds at 20 km/h or more. In practice this usually means a driver-facing camera, although the regulation sets performance, not hardware, and it must work without biometric data and without identifying occupants.
Privacy rules and fleet policy
Article 6(3) of the General Safety Regulation sets the data limits. The systems must not continuously record or retain data other than what is necessary for their purpose, the data must not be accessible or made available to third parties at any time, and it must be deleted immediately after processing. The delegated regulations add that any processing of personal data must comply with EU data protection law.
Those limits apply to the type-approved warning function. They do not govern separate driver-facing cameras or telematics that a fleet chooses to fit, which fall under UK GDPR in Great Britain. The ICO’s guidance on monitoring workers says employers must identify a lawful basis, tell workers about monitoring and choose the least intrusive means. It requires a data protection impact assessment for monitoring likely to be high risk, and lists biometric data among its examples. A fleet policy should therefore separate three things:
- the built-in warning, which the vehicle maker has designed to stay inside the car;
- any aftermarket or connected camera system the fleet adds, which needs its own lawful basis, transparency notice and assessment;
- what managers do when a driver reports frequent warnings, which is a fatigue and scheduling question rather than a data one.
Our guide to fleet telematics data governance explains how to set the purpose before choosing the data. For example, a regional delivery fleet might add a handover note on what the warnings mean to its driver familiarisation process for new vehicles.
The driver monitoring system position in Great Britain
GB vehicle approval no longer follows new EU rules automatically. Legislation.gov.uk lists the UK version of Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 as revoked, and this article has not confirmed the GB timetable for DDAW and ADDW. Northern Ireland follows different arrangements, and our article on separate policy checks for Great Britain and Northern Ireland explains why each needs its own check. A vehicle sold in the UK may share its specification with the EU model, so a driver monitoring system may be fitted whether or not GB law requires it. Fleets should confirm the fitment and its settings with the manufacturer rather than assume either way.
Key points for fleet managers
- GSR2 requires both a drowsiness warning and a distraction warning on new M and N category vehicles in the EU.
- DDAW has been required on all new EU registrations since 7 July 2024, and ADDW since 7 July 2026.
- DDAW must not use biometric data in normal operation; ADDW monitors gaze but must not identify occupants.
- The built-in systems may not share data with third parties, so they are not a fleet monitoring tool.
- Any extra camera or telematics a fleet fits needs its own lawful basis and, where high risk, a data protection impact assessment.
- Check GB and Northern Ireland requirements separately before writing a vehicle specification.
This article is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice.
Sources
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 on general safety of motor vehicles
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2019/2144, PDF including Annex II
- EUR-Lex: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1341 on driver drowsiness and attention warning
- EUR-Lex: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2590 on advanced driver distraction warning
- European Commission: New rules to improve road safety and enable fully driverless vehicles in the EU
- ICO: Data protection and monitoring workers
- legislation.gov.uk: Regulation (EU) 2019/2144
Sources checked in November 2026. Rules, rates and schemes can change after publication, so check the linked official pages before acting.
