Some drivers have however been overriding the warning system by switching it off, finding it intrusive.

The EU regulation comes into effect on July 7 and requires all new cars — passenger vehicles, trucks and buses included — to be equipped with ADDW systems, also known as Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). These monitor the driver and issue either visual or audio warnings if they detect the driver is fatigued or sleepy, or doing anything which detracts from driving.

If a driver's eyes remain closed for a short period of time, or if they look away from the road for too long or even yawn multiple times, an ADDW system can be triggered.

The same applies to obvious distractions like looking at a phone or making calls, or even smoking while driving.

The regulation first applied in July 2024, but only applied to new vehicles manufactured inside the EU. From July it will expand to cover all new cars sold within the EU.

Ain Tatter, head of the roads and railways department at the Ministry of Climate, told ERR that ADDW's tech spec was developed by the European Commission in partnership with industry experts. The entire initiative is linked to the "Vision Zero" road safety objective; this refers to the need to reduce traffic accidents caused by driver inattention.

Tatter added the European Commission cooperated with experts from countries which manufacture vehicles themselves. This means Estonia was not involved in the consultations, lacking an automotive sector as such, but the state still backs the initiative, he said.

"Estonia supported the initiative with the goal of improving road safety — engaging in unrelated activities behind the wheel distracts drivers from traffic and increases the risk of accidents. The system's purpose is to reduce accidents caused by human error and distraction," Tatter noted.

As with all the other 26 member states, the Estonian state is responsible for supervising and enforcing the directive. This will be handled by the Transport Administration (Transpordiamet).

Autogeenius editor in chief: Constant niggling just makes people switch the system off

Tarmo Tähepõld, editor-in-chief of motoring consumer portal Autogeenius, told ERR that ADDW, like many things, was created with the best intentions. Toyota and Lexus were the first manufacturers to offer such systems, Tähepõld said to the best of his recollection — way back in the mid-2000s and as optional add-ons.

Tähepõld explained more about how an ADDW worked.

"It monitors your eye movement and head movement. Usually the system is located either directly in front of the driver above the steering column, or in many cars there's a small dark window panel in the left-side door pillar. It doesn't record anything, and there's no camera inside — just sensors. They monitor your eye movements, and if your eyes aren't looking in the right direction, it starts 'yelling' at you," Tähepõld said.

However, this "yelling" can get on some drivers' nerves, causing them to switch the system off. The warnings in this case can include exceeding the maximum speed limit on a stretch of road by "just" one kilometer per hour, for instance.

That is not to say ADDWs are not a good thing with more serious infractions.

"In that respect, it's genuinely a good thing if you're staring at your phone and the ADDW gives you a quick reminder and calls you into line. Ideally, you would actually react to it. But generally speaking, it's just another annoying beeping device," he went on.

Another part of the issue is that it is not only phones and other devices which drivers look at — modern cars themselves have large touchscreens to control a wide range of functions, installed by the manufacturers, yet the ADDW system will not allow the driver to look at those screens for too long before it starts sounding the alarm.

"That's the problem — it may be very precise in monitoring your eyes and everything else, but in some cars it's so hyperactive, tuned so jumpily, that it is constantly yelling at you, and then you simply switch it off," Tähepõld said.

ADDWs also still fail to account adequately for real-life situations, Tähepõld said. For instance, when overtaking, drivers need to repeatedly glance at the vehicle they are overtaking and in their mirrors, as well as the road ahead, but this can trigger the system.

Even leaving the system switched on may not resolve the issue, he said: Many drivers will become accustomed to the warnings and tune them out.

"It's a good thing, but in real-world conditions it mostly doesn't work the way it should. It becomes background noise — even if you don't turn it off, eventually you get used to the constant nagging. And then it no longer fulfills its purpose."

ADDW is clearly here to stay both commercially and with the EU regulations, but the tech needs constant improving, the expert added.

"Hopefully things will improve over time; in some cars it already works better, in others worse," Tähepõld added.

"There are definitely benefits to it, and hopefully there will be more and more in the future. Right now, though, it's still at a somewhat painful transitional phase," he concluded.

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