If a controversial new law passes, driver monitoring systems could become compulsory in new cars as early as 2027. But you may be surprised to know that they already exist, and road users seem to have mixed feelings about them.
Those of you who have driven a relatively new car may have had a driver monitoring system enabled without even realizing it. The system will monitor for things like inattentiveness, drowsiness, and irritation using infared cameras. The vehicle will also pay attention to your driving style, and notice things like poor lane positioning or drivers regularly drifting out of their lanes.
However, what the system can do when it notices a driver may be struggling is somewhat limited. As things stand, most vehicles can only suggest you pull over at the next rest area and take a break. There are also “dumber” vehicles that do this based on driving time alone. Drivers are free to dismiss this, or even disable the system entirely. Which is not an option if the bill passes.
There are more consequences when it comes to self driving. Level 2 self driving systems, which are amongst the most advanced ones we currently have, still require a human present in the driver’s seat and ready to take control at any moment. As a result, drivers are continuously monitored while the self driving systems are enabled.
If the vehicle notices your eyes aren’t on the road, you’ll get a warning and may be asked to take hold of the wheel. If your concentration repeatedly lapses, the self driving system could be disabled for the remainder of the trip. Or at least until you pull over, turn the vehicle off, and turn it on again. Again, this is still milder than the proposed legislation which could include a “kill switch” on vehicles which would take inattentive drivers off the road temporarily.
You could argue disabling self driving is pretty dangerous if someone is falling asleep at the wheel, but manufacturers are likely wary of the liability that comes with making naps in the driver’s seat possible. Plus, these systems don’t always work as one Tesla driver who decided to take a snooze on his way home from the bar recently demonstrated.
Some drivers hate these systems, and they aren’t even mandatory yet
Subaru’s DriverFocus system is one of the more established driver monitoring systems currently available. While its safety benefits have received praise from some quarters, other drivers seem quite frustrated with it.
One TikToker called out the system’s sensitivity, claiming it would berate him for something as minor as a brief glance out of his side window. Describing it as one of the “dumbest features” new cars have, Alex Dodd said:
“If you veer off for two seconds, like if you look away like this, or if you’re looking outside, I got mountains around us, right, I’m looking at the mountains, it’ll flash and beep and say ‘keep eyes on road.'”
That sentiment seems to be echoed by Subaru’s customer base, with threads on a Subaru Outback fan forum dating as far back as 2024 voicing displeasure with the feature. One user wrote “I want to stick an ice pick in the stupid camera! So far all I have found is that if I put a rag over the camera it will “fail” and shut itself off. Is there any way to permanently do this?”
It’s worth pointing out that it isn’t just Subaru. I’ve tested many cars over the years, and a number of recent models come with overly nannyish driver monitoring systems. Fords will threaten to turn BlueCruise off over things like a two second swig from a coffee cup or water bottle. BMWs will get upset at you if you’re wearing the wrong sunglasses. And some Genesis and Hyundai models will vibrate your seat the second you fail to maintain eye contact.
Again, we do currently have the option to disable this feature on pretty much every vehicle that has it. But current implementation shows that driver monitoring technology isn’t quite where it needs to be, and many people are in for a frustrating experience if the controversial bill finally makes it through.
