Will humans still be allowed to drive their own cars in Europe by the mid-2030s? According to this deep dive, yes—but not in the way we do today.

Over the next decade, driving will shift from an act of personal freedom to a hyper-regulated, machine-supervised operation.

1. In-Vehicle Mandates: The Shift to Active Safety

Under the EU’s General Safety Regulation (GSR Phase 2, taking full effect in mid-2026), automotive safety is pivoting from passive protection (airbags, crash zones) to active intervention:

• System Overrides: Features like Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and active lane-keeping will physically override human input to prevent collisions.
• Drive-by-Wire & Black Boxes: Traditional mechanical/hydraulic systems  ...