Require in the strange new definition of the word require. I've always read a requirements as in things that are required to be done. I know that's using a word to define a word but we all know what the word requirement means but if you read this article these are more like guidelines and not requirements. Automakers can voluntarily follow them or not. If they choose not to follow them they will lose these "valuable safety points" whatever that is supposed to mean. Because in my experience people buying cars based upon safety actually investigate the cars features directly rather than relying on some arbitrary scale printed by some body that may not hold the same safety standards as you personally do.<p>The real reason to throw out the touch screens and go back to more physical controls and go to less computer-controlled items is not only for driver safety and tactile responses where you don't need to look at things but also for the long-term viability of the vehicle. All of these wiggity doohickeys that people want to make their sci-fi looking future cars are turning cars into throwaway items. And that's really great for saving the environment when you have your throwaway electric car.<p>If these automotive regulation bodies for governments really wanted to make meaningful impacts to the automotive community and driver safety and the longitivity of vehicles they would require that all manufacturers release the source code and the requisite tooling to leverage it into the community once the manufacturer stops producing OEM parts for it. In the United States their only required to produce parts for 10 years and the aftermarket is free to produce replica parts but when you lock so much behind hidden computer code you're locking out to the aftermarket parts for big chunks of the vehicle. But don't worry throw your car in the landfill or have it scrapped by some non-environmentally friendly scrap yard with the joke of the recycling symbols they publish and just buy another one. Don't worry about the actual environmental impact because you'll feel good due to the marketing that you believe you're having a positive environmental impact as long as you ignore those pesky heavy industries it takes to produce a vehicle.
> Indicators, hazard warning lights, windscreen wipers, horn, and SOS features will have to be controlled by proper switches in order for cars to be granted Euro NCAP’s coveted five star safety rating