Global In-Cabin Regulation Landscape: A Comparative Look at Different Markets
While there are many factors influencing the automotive industry, the primary cause of widespread adoption of safety innovations has always been regulations. In today’s world, many OEMs try to offer their vehicles globally which poses a huge challenge. Manufacturers must meet different regulatory requirements depending on the regions where vehicles are produced, sold, or operated. Understanding these regional differences and their influence is essential to staying competitive. In this article, we will give an overview on regulations regarding in-cabin analysis including driver monitoring systems and occupant monitoring systems.
Europe: The Regulatory Leader
Europe continues to lead globally when it comes to automotive regulations. Due to the European Union’s integrated framework, multiple countries can coordinate policies under a common legislation. This results in wide-reaching and enforceable safety standards.
Mandatory Regulations
In 2019, the GSR (General Safety Regulation) was adopted by the EU, which detailed driver and occupant monitoring mandates starting to be implemented from 2024 onwards – including driver monitoring functionality such as Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning (DDAW) and Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW).
Non-mandatory Regulations
While mandatory regulations need to be set by regulatory bodies, several institutions are effective kick-starters of these lengthy processes. One of the most influential bodies in shaping European automotive safety is Euro NCAP. Euro NCAP protocols are perceived to foreshadow upcoming mandatory regulations and are used as a benchmark across the world, guiding NCAPs in several countries.
As outlined in their Vision 2030 document, Euro NCAP will focus on driver awareness, impairment, cognitive distraction and adaptive passive safety as well as assisted driving in higher automation levels over the course of the next 5 years. Last year, NCAP’s new protocols for 2026 and onwards have been released, detailing features about occupant monitoring such as seatbelt usage, occupant classification and presence detection – these features emphasize vulnerable occupants and aim to increase their safety within the vehicle by providing individualised protection during a crash. The protocols also include driver monitoring features which directly impact other assistance systems combining interior and exterior information. The protocol significantly shifted the direction of vehicle manufacturers. As the protocols of Euro NCAP foreshadow upcoming regulations, they highlight the importance of active safety alongside adaptive passive safety.
Outlook
These upcoming milestones show how Europe is moving from basic DMS safety compliance towards holistic in-cabin monitoring systems. The next batch of Euro NCAP protocols due in 2029 are already being speculated according to the next steps outlined in Vision 2030.
United States: Rapidly Evolving
In the US, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sets federal vehicle safety standards, operating as part of the US Department of Transportation. NHTSA has traditionally focused on crashworthiness, crash avoidance, and post-crash survivability similar to NCAPs around the world. Recently they have been researching and testing advanced driver state sensing technologies, especially in preparation for increasing autonomous driving levels. This signals the building of new protocols and regulations regarding driver and occupant monitoring in the future.
Mandatory Regulations
While some initiatives have been introduced to the senate about the research and implementation of driver monitoring systems including driver distraction, impairment and engagement, especially for high-level automation vehicles, these have not been enforced as law (SAFE Act, Moving Forward Act).
Specifically, only the following bills have been passed in the senate:
- The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA): This act promotes the research and eventual regulation on driver behaviour, including distraction, disengagement, automation misuse, and complacency. It aims to detect and prevent operation by impaired drivers (e.g., due to alcohol or drug use) as well.
- Hot Cars Act of 2021: This legislation aims to prevent child-deaths resulting from being left unattended in vehicles, often resulting in heatstroke. It proposes the mandatory inclusion of child safety alert systems in all new vehicles.
By November 2024, around $568 billion (47% of the total which was indicated) was funding 68,000 projects encompassing multiple areas detailed in the bill. After the change of administration in 2025, the development of these projects was slowed or halted.
Even though there is a lack of legislation, there are many vehicle manufacturers in the US that have adopted driver and occupant monitoring features voluntarily. Next to voluntary application and requirements due to automation, these can also be driven by the standards around the world OEMs have to meet if their vehicles are being sold to and operated in other countries and regions.
Non-mandatory Regulations
One of the players influencing non-mandatory industry standards in the US is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). As an independent non-profit organisation, they support the research and evaluation of methods to reduce deaths and injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes. Consumer Reports, another independent non-profit organisation in the US, concerns itself with vehicle testing and rating. Working together with IIHS they have been encouraging camera-based driver monitoring systems in vehicles with partial automation. Initiatives like these will be effective in pushing for federal level vehicle safety standards soon.
Outlook
In short, while vehicle safety standards regarding in-cabin monitoring are not mandatory in the US, market pressure, legal liability, and insurance incentives are pushing the industry toward proactive adoption of driver monitoring systems.
China: Emerging Power, Optional Compliance
As the largest car market globally, China has significant power to drive innovation and regulation.
Mandatory Regulations
China’s automotive regulations are primarily governed by the GB Standards. Currently there are no mandatory regulations about driver and occupant monitoring within the GB Standards.
Non-mandatory Regulations
There are additionally China GB/T standards which are “recommended” (not mandatory) technical specifications that guide design, testing, and evaluation. Driver monitoring regulations are covered within China GB/T in a detailed manner and include: Eye-closure detection, yawning, abnormal head pose, use of handheld mobile devices and smoking.
These features show that China recognizes the importance of cognitive and physical driver awareness, even if it has not enforced these systems through mandatory laws. Furthermore, if proven it is likely that GB/T regulations become GB in the future.
Another organization with influence in the Chinese automotive market is the C-NCAP, the Chinese counterpart of the NCAP organisations around the world. In their latest publications, clear frameworks are described for analysing driver fatigue and attention monitoring.
Outlook
Given China’s global tech leadership, it is expected that China will eventually mandate driver monitoring systems, especially for ride-sharing and commercial vehicles. Several Chinese OEMs, especially EV manufacturers, are already incorporating in-cabin monitoring to differentiate themselves in the highly contested market.
Other Key Vehicle Markets
Beyond the markets we have discussed above several other regions play influential roles in shaping global automotive safety and innovation. While their regulatory approaches vary in maturity and enforcement, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, and South American countries represent critical markets with unique priorities and standards.
Japan
Japan has long been a pioneer in vehicle safety and driver assistance technologies. While less vocal on the global regulatory stage, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) maintains a sophisticated set of vehicle standards. The Japanese NCAP (JNCAP) operates within MLIT and conducts safety protocols similar to NCAPs around the world, however does not include any explicit driver monitoring regulations.
There is also increasing attention on aging drivers, a major demographic concern, which drives innovation in higher automation levels to take over the challenges from the individuals. And while driver monitoring systems are currently only mandatory for automated vehicles, major Japanese OEMs (Toyota, Honda, Subaru) already implement advanced DMS features to passenger vehicles as well, including eye tracking, drowsiness detection, and steering behavior analysis. The adoption of such features ahead of any formal regulation reflects the country’s export market requirements as well as industry-led innovation culture.
On a global level, Japan participates in UNECE safety harmonization efforts and tends to follow or influence GSR-like frameworks.
India
India, the world’s third-largest vehicle market by volume, is undergoing a regulatory transformation focused on improving road safety and aligning with international norms.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Automotive Industry Standards (AIS) committee are leading reforms. Meanwhile Bharat NCAP, launched in 2023, introduces crash safety ratings for vehicles sold in India, similar to Euro NCAP.
In 2022, MoRTH announced that driver drowsiness and attention features will be introduced in India. This regulation is very similar to Europe’s DDAW and ADDW. Initial steps of making DDAW mandatory in India will come into force in 2026.
South Korea
South Korea, home to vehicle manufacturers such as Hyundai and Kia, is becoming a more proactive regulatory player.
Recently, South Korea has adopted elements of European safety standards, particularly in crash testing and electronic stability requirements. The Korean NCAP (KNCAP) is expanding to include driver distraction and fatigue detection as part of its evaluation protocols. Furthermore, the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MoLIT) published the vehicle homologation framework KMVSS which details safety requirements for autonomous driving including a simple driver monitoring system.
Thanks to South Korea’s robust technology sector, driver monitoring technologies are rapidly gaining traction with OEMs already working on several features.
Australia
Australia does not develop many vehicle safety standards independently but adopts regulations from larger markets, primarily Europe and Japan. The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) closely aligns with Euro NCAP protocols. Specifically, ANCAP decided to collaborate with Euro NCAP on protocols for 2026 which include Driver and Occupant State Monitoring.
While driver monitoring is not yet mandatory, ANCAP is increasingly emphasizing in-cabin safety technologies, and this may signal new regulations to be adopted by the Australian Design Rules (ADR).
South America
South America represents a diverse mix of regulatory development levels, with countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Chile leading regional initiatives.
The regulatory environment in many South American countries suffers from limited enforcement, slower adoption of global standards, and infrastructure constraints. Nevertheless, Latin NCAP’s new protocols include a comprehensive set of requirements on driver monitoring similar to Euro NCAP which will push camera-based in-cabin analysis systems in many vehicles is South America.
Trends & Insights: The Future of Automotive Regulations
As regulatory bodies worldwide move toward regulating driver and occupant monitoring, a few key trends are emerging which will likely become the focus for upcoming regulations around the world.
- Passive Safety Regulations:
While initial voluntary features concerning passive safety has already started, such as ENCAP 2026, these will become more significant around the world and be mandated through different countries and regions soon. Some of these features include occupant presence & classification, occupant positioning/out of position cases etc.
- AI-Driven Regulation Compliance:
As AI-driven features (e.g., adaptive assistance, predictive fatigue systems) become more common, regulators will need to address how to certify and validate these non-deterministic systems for safety and transparency. It is important to make sure companies are using state of the art development practices with the necessary care and diligence. Compliance with standards such as ISO 26262, ISO SOTIF, PAS 8800 can be named as a few.
- Health-Related In-Cabin Monitoring:
Future regulations may incorporate physiological and cognitive state monitoring — which might require advanced sensing such as heart rate, breathing patterns, stress levels, and even illness detection — particularly as vehicles evolve into personalized mobile living spaces. Moreover, specified regulations for impairment detection such as the detection of alcohol or drug use will likely be implemented.
- Automation-Related Features:
Future protocols will likely include mandatory fallback systems for semi-autonomous vehicles, requiring continuous driver engagement or fast takeover readiness — a critical need for Level 2+ and Level 3 systems.
Conclusion & Outlook
Considering the workings of multiple regions, it is safe to say that regulation remains the primary force of widespread innovation adoption in the automotive industry although each region reflects different regulatory systems.
The direction is clear: monitoring the state of both driver and occupants has become central to automotive safety and it holds the key to both safety and user experience features. Future vehicles will not just react to the conditions outside – they will also understand the condition and behavior of everyone inside.
For vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, and other players in the automotive industry, keeping up to date with these evolving global regulations is a must.
For keeping up with the current regulatory updates around the world you can follow this page: Regulatory Radar
* DISCLAIMER: In this article, only information regarding driver and occupant monitoring aspects have been detailed, the protocols contain other multitudes of rules beyond this aspect as well. The information presented on this page does not constitute legal advice. All information on this page is provided solely for general information purposes. Information on this page may not be complete, correct or up to date. emotion3D does not recommend basing any actions on the information given on this page.