Dash cams in the EU

1.2.2018

Question for written answer P-000591-18
to the Commission
Rule 130
Gabriele Preuß (S&D)

Dash cams — small cameras attached to the dashboard or the windscreen — are becoming increasingly popular. However, they are also potentially an intrusion into the moral rights of road users. There are currently no common rules governing the use of dash cams in the EU, although data protection is a common EU undertaking.

Whilst they are allowed in France and the Netherlands, for example, they are banned in Germany and Austria, where their use is punishable by fines of up to EUR 10 000. Drivers can therefore unwittingly commit an offence whilst driving in Europe simply by crossing a national border. This cannot be reconciled with the objective of free movement for travellers in the EU.

1. What is the Commission’s assessment of the current situation? Have proposals for common EU-wide rules been put forward?2. What is the Commission’s assessment of the need to balance moral rights with the concern of dash cam to have a legal safeguard in the event of being involved in an accident?3. What is the Commission’s assessment of the risk posed by the increasing use of dash cams and the associated potential for illegally publishing personal data, for example on the Internet?