China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is consulting on proposed rules that could tighten safety requirements for vehicle technology and design. The proposals cover large infotainment displays and head-up displays, among other features, and follow earlier restrictions on flush-fitting door handles and yoke-style steering wheels.
Under the draft, vehicles with central entertainment screens, large-area displays or complex head-up displays would need safety evaluations covering how information affects driving, whether systems work reliably in extreme conditions and how they perform in a collision. The proposal does not amount to a blanket ban on touchscreens, but systems judged distracting or unreliable could face restrictions. Folding and flexible screens would be prohibited, while essential controls such as gear selectors, window defrosters and headlights would need physical switches or buttons.
The MIIT also proposes preventing so-called zero-gravity seats from fully reclining while a car is moving, and would require limits on user-designed headlight patterns to protect other road users. Predetermined lighting signatures would remain permitted. The measures are still proposals under public consultation. The article says they could affect models exported from China, while noting that the EU is also examining the safety of pop-out door handles; it does not report a corresponding UK or EU rule on the other features.