EU legislation does require an "advanced driver distraction warning system" in every passenger or goods vehicle from July 7, 2026. It does not specify that this system has to be an infrared camera. Driver monitoring systems in cars have, however, used infrared technology since at least 2006, suggesting future systems will continue this practice.
In the summer of 2026, a claim circulated online that starting on July 7, 2026, all new cars sold in the European Union must include an infrared camera that monitors the driver's eyes and face for distraction.
One X post featuring the story (archived) had more than 8.2 million views at the time of this writing.
JUST IN: All new cars sold in the EU are now required to include an infrared camera that monitors the driver's eyes and face for distraction. pic.twitter.com/3ZI75iwmYO
— Valuetainment (@valuetainment) July 7, 2026
The claim also circulated on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived) and Reddit (archived).
The European Commission, the executive body that ensures member states apply EU laws, did announce that from July 7, 2026, new cars and vans would be subject to advanced safety requirements. One of these requirements is an "Advanced driver distraction warning system," or ADDW system, something that already exists in many modern cars.
However, neither the EU's legislation nor an explanatory memorandum from 2023 that details requirements for the ADDW system explicitly states that infrared cameras should be used. The 2023 memo assumes that cameras would be involved in any onboard ADDW system, but does not specify a type.
Though the legislation does not specifically require infrared cameras to be used in ADDWs, infrared technology has been used for driver monitoring systems for at least 20 years. It already appears in modern cars, suggesting the mandatory systems in the EU would likely be infrared technology-based as well, even if they are not required by law. Therefore, we rate this claim mostly true.
How the system will work
According to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union's regulation 2019/2144, the union would refuse to grant approval to passenger or goods vehicles (types M and N) without an ADDW system from July 7, 2024, and prohibit the registration of vehicles without such a system from July 7, 2026 (Annex II, Table E).
The European Commission defines an ADDW system as follows in a 2023 memo:
The ADDW is defined as a system that helps the driver to continue paying attention to the traffic situation and warns the driver when he or she is distracted. For example, this function can be fulfilled by a system capable of recognising the driver's level of visual attention to the traffic situation and warning the driver when distracted.
The memo defines an area within a car (Area 2) where a driver should normally be looking, which includes the front windscreen and front passenger windows. The ADDW system should alert the driver if it saw them looking outside this area for set periods of time and at certain speeds.
The Commission notes in its memo that the system should work without biometric data, meaning without being able to identify the driver or any passengers. According to the Parliament and Council regulation, data an ADDW system records, "shall not be accessible or made available to third parties at any time and shall be immediately deleted after processing."
The data should be processed in a closed-loop system that should not "continuously record nor retain any data other than what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed within the closed-loop system."
The EU legislation does not say that approved ADDW systems have to use a specific type of technology to achieve their aim.
Driver monitoring systems that use cameras have been around since 2005, when Toyota announced its "world's first" Pre-crash Safety System with driver monitoring. In 2006, a German car magazine reported that some vehicles from Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand, used infrared lenses to monitor the driver.
According to Tech-Led, a global LED supplier, many driver monitoring systems use infrared LEDs that emit light that is invisible to humans, allowing cameras to "see" a driver without adding visual distractions.
EU's ADDW requirement relies on existing technology
Requiring ADDW systems in cars registered in the EU is part of a package of legislation that aims to achieve "Vision Zero," an EU goal to move as close as possible to zero road transport fatalities by 2050. As part of "Vision Zero," member states adopted the package of legislation seeking to improve road safety in the EU in 2019.
In a 2020 policy document (Page 20), the union estimated that distracted driving plays a role in 10 to 30% of road crashes and identified it as an area in need of intervention.
Snopes previously reported on proposed legislation in the U.S. that would identify a drunken driver and "prevent or limit motor vehicle operation" upon detection. That legislation faces challenges because the technology needed to enforce it does not appear to be ready.
The EU legislation that requires passenger and goods vehicles to have ADDW systems only requires systems to detect and warn distracted drivers, not prevent or limit them from driving. The technology needed for vehicles to adhere to the legislation already exists.
The same legislation also brings in requirements for advanced emergency brake systems detecting pedestrians and cyclists, better forward vision in vehicles, new tests for worn tires and expanded safety glass areas in vehicle windscreens to protect pedestrians during accidents.
For further reading, Snopes frequently investigates rumors around cars and driving.