Collision Course: Why Europe’s plan to halve road deaths by 2030 is stalling

“I have to live with this for the rest of my life,” Scottish truck driver Ion Onut lamented in the Sunderland Echo. “By being on my phone for a long period of time and then realizing the traffic ahead of me had stopped, I had absolutely zero chance to act and pull my brakes on. When I saw the videos of what happened, it was unimaginable and hard to see. It was so disturbing knowing that was me in that truck plowing through the cars.”

In July 2021, the then-41-year-old caused a devastating crash in North East England while browsing dating websites on his mobile phone. He failed to notice that traffic ahead had stopped and plowed into a line of cars at about 58 mph (93 kph), triggering a fiery multi-vehicle collision​. Three people were killed instantly, and several others were injured.

Onut is now serving nearly nine years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving. From prison, he collaborated with local authorities on a hard-hitting road safety campaign about the consequences of using a phone while driving​. A visibly remorseful Onut delivers a tearful apology and a warning to all drivers that no text, video, or notification is worth a life.

The bet on driver monitoring systems

The European Union has recognized that distraction behind the wheel is one of the biggest contributors to road fatalities.

In 2018, the EU set a goal to halve road deaths and serious injuries by 2030. However, progress in cutting road fatalities has stagnated. About 20,400 people were killed on EU roads in 2023—a mere 1% decrease from 2022. 

Even so, Europe is starting from a much safer baseline than countries like the U.S., which has one of the highest road fatality rates in the developed world—more than double that of the EU. Experts point to car-centric infrastructure, higher speed limits, and the dominance of large vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks. With those factors better managed in Europe, regulators across the EU and U.K. are now zeroing in on the spiraling scourge of driver distraction. 

In response, it has mandated the installation of Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) in all new vehicle models starting July 2024. These systems use in-cabin cameras and AI to track driver attention, detecting behaviors like mobile phone use, smoking, or seatbelt neglect. If a distraction is identified, the system currently only warns the driver to refocus rather than blocking it. While experts see these systems as a step in the right direction, they argue that real progress in road safety will come once authorities insist on using existing technology that doesn’t just warn drivers but actively disables intrusive apps and alerts.

Ori Gilboa, CEO of Israeli safety tech company SaverOne, sees this approach as key to tackling one of the most coercive and deadly behaviors in modern society: smartphone addiction behind the wheel. “People say drunk driving is bad, but they’re not ashamed to say they use their phone while driving,” he says. “If we truly recognize that phone use is an addiction, then we need to treat it as such.”

A different approach: disabling, not just warning

SaverOne has developed a system that both detects and disables unsafe phone use while the vehicle is in motion, ensuring that drivers cannot override safety measures. Unlike apps drivers can disable at will, SaverOne’s technology “operates automatically, without requiring the driver’s consent,” Gilboa explains. “It has to work that way because otherwise, drivers will override it. It’s human nature.”

The company’s solution consists of a hardware unit installed in the vehicle that uses radio frequency technology to detect a driver’s phone and restrict its functionality. The system can differentiate between the driver’s phone and a passenger’s, ensuring only the driver’s phone is restricted. Navigation apps can still work, but social media, messaging, and other distractions are completely disabled. “Unlike the mandated DMS, which only warns drivers, our system actively prevents distraction by disabling unsafe phone use altogether,” Gilboa says.

The impact on drivers’ behavior has been profound. “We saw drivers trying to use their phones 10 times in an hour,” he explains. “After two weeks with our system, those numbers drop significantly. They stop reaching for their phone because they know it won’t work. It’s almost like rehab.”

Can regulation or insurance incentives drive change?

While Europe is focusing on driver monitoring, the U.S. is leaning into Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), such as automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assist. In 2026, the U.S. will begin incorporating ADAS into its vehicle safety ratings, incentivizing automakers to include these systems. However, Gilboa argues that Europe is ahead in tackling distraction directly. “The U.S. needs to catch up,” he says. “ADAS helps prevent some crashes, but it doesn’t stop drivers from looking at their phones. Europe is at least mandating that cars monitor the driver’s behavior.”

Gilboa believes both regions could learn from each other, but he is clear that the U.S. lags behind. “We need a hybrid approach—monitoring, prevention, and driver-assist technology working together,” he says.

The current regulations stop short of mandating prevention. But there are growing calls to go further, especially as fatalities remain high. “We know the risk,” Gilboa says. “Now it’s up to regulators to require preventative technology in all cars.”

While regulation is one path, Gilboa sees insurance companies as a key driver of change alongside regulation. “If more insurers offer discounts for distraction-prevention tech, adoption could skyrocket,” he says. SaverOne has already partnered with insurers and deployed its system in Israel’s commercial fleets, including Nestlé's Osem Group, PepsiCo's Frito-Lay, and Cemex, which is now expanding from the Middle East into Europe.

Learning from tragedy

While companies like SaverOne focus on prevention through innovation, others rely on emotional impact to change behavior. Mariellena Johnson, whose mother and stepfather were killed in the crash caused by Ion Onut, is taking a different approach. She created simple yet powerful vehicle stickers that read, “Life Is Precious – In Memory of Elaine Sullivan & David Daglish,” urging drivers to put their phones down.

“I’m continuously seeing people using their mobile phones, and I just want it to end,” she says. Her message is simple but urgent: lives are at stake, and awareness alone isn’t enough.

The question now is whether governments, automakers, and insurers will take the necessary steps to ensure that other drivers never find themselves in Onut’s position—the driver who had no time left to act, and no way to undo the damage.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com