Drivers of Renault and Dacia models can disable mandatory driver-assistance alerts in two quick presses using a physical shortcut button built into the dashboard. Automakers report overwhelming customer demand for the feature, which provides a practical workaround to European Union safety regulations introduced in July 2024.
Industry executives reveal that a simple dashboard control, dubbed the magic button by company leadership, has become the single most utilized feature in select vehicle lineups. Drivers are gravitating toward physical hardware designed to turn off automated alerts.
Renault and Dacia Install Drivers with the My Safety Switch
Positioned discreetly on the dashboard to the left of the steering wheel, the My Safety Switch is present on all trim levels across the Renault and Dacia ranges. Régine Bartholomé, press manager for the group, states the mechanism bypasses complex touchscreen menus to relieve driver fatigue from constant chimes.
Configured initially through the vehicle’s central computer under a profile called My Safety Perso, the shortcut requires only two presses upon startup. This action instantly mutes a pre-selected combination of driver aids, including speed limit warnings, lane-keep assist, and drowsiness detection.
Katrin Adt, general manager of Dacia, highlighted the phenomenon in an interview with British magazine Autocar, noting that the most used button in our cars is what we call the ‘magic button’ that allows you to cut all the beeps. Régine Bartholomé added that customers tell us it’s well-seen and well-thought-out.
European Union Imposes the GSR2 Safety Mandate
The GSR2 framework took effect in July 2024, requiring all newly registered vehicles in the bloc to feature automated safety tech such as intelligent speed adaptation and emergency lane-keeping. A subsequent phase arrived on July 7, 2026, incorporating advanced driver distraction warnings.
The law mandates that the safety features automatically re-engage every time the engine restarts. The European Commission defends the framework by projecting that the mandates could save more than 25,000 lives and avoid 140,000 serious injuries by 2038.
Katrin Adt noted that these regulations represent 25% of our R&D budget and the same percentage for our engineers,
questioning whether such strict norms truly align with consumer expectations. Fabrice Cambolive, head of Renault, similarly characterized the rules as a regulatory tsunami, pointing to rising vehicle sticker prices as entry-level models absorb these compliance costs.
Stellantis, Mercedes, and Volkswagen Respond to Regulations Differently
At Stellantis, Peugeot models utilize ADAS menus accessed via touchscreen icons or physical dashboard buttons. Virginie Moerenhout of Stellantis explains that drivers can check off the functions you want to cut in a block, after which a long press on the physical or touch control deactivates them simultaneously.
Mercedes employs a steering wheel mute button or top-screen touch icon to quiet speed limit warnings. Bastien Van den Moortel, spokesperson for the German manufacturer, noted that recent models allow simultaneous disconnection of speed alerts and lane assistance, acknowledging that these beeps annoy a lot of people.
Jean-Marc Ponteville, spokesperson for D’Ieteren group representing Volkswagen, Cupra, Seat, Skoda, Audi, and Porsche, reported that for the moment, we do not have within our brands the function of a single button allowing everything to be deactivated in one go, requiring drivers to adjust settings function by function.
Vias Institute Warns Against Deactivating Safety Aids
Benoît Godart, spokesperson for the Vias Institute, expressed concern over the trend, stating that it is very unfortunate, obviously, the goal of these aids is to avoid accidents or, in any case, to make them less serious.
Godart noted that regulatory bodies put the cart before the horse by mandating assistance systems before achieving absolute reliability, pointing to high-profile software glitches like ghost braking that eroded public trust.
In January 2026, the French League of Defense of Drivers published an evaluation of top-selling models, penalizing brands that force motorists through cumbersome submenus while praising physical shortcut solutions.