‘Will save lives: New law makes electric vehicles safer for pedestrians

Australia’s electric cars will no longer move in silence, with a long-awaited safety law now in effect requiring all new EVs to emit an audible sound when travelling at low speeds.

From November 1, every new electric vehicle sold in Australia must be fitted with an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS), which produces a recognisable sound when the car is moving at or under 25km/h, a move advocates say will save lives.

Vision Australia’s general manager of corporate affairs and advocacy, Chris Edwards, said the new rule marked a major victory after years of campaigning.

“Vision Australia has been calling for an acoustic vehicle alerting system to be introduced in Australia since 2018,” Mr Edwards said.

He said their research found that 35 per cent of people who are blind or have low vision have had a collision with a silent vehicle.

“Further reporting shows that pedestrian road crashes cost the Australian community over $1.2bn each year,” he said.

“With electric vehicles predicted to make up 90 per cent of Australia’s vehicle fleet by 2050, we knew there couldn’t be any further delay to mandating AVAS.

“All pedestrians should have the right to feel safe and confident when navigating public spaces, and this mandate will ensure they will. AVAS will save lives.”

The new legislation brings Australia in line with other major jurisdictions including the European Union, the United States and Japan, where similar sound requirements have been in place for several years.

“We are ecstatic and congratulate the current federal government for listening to our concerns and acting on this very important issue,” Mr Edwards said.

“It’s been a long road, but through persistence and putting the safety of Australia’s blind and low vision community in front of the government, we’ve achieved the result we wanted.

“We also recognise the proactive step the government has taken in expanding the requirement to include electric trucks, buses and other heavy vehicles.”

Vision Australia said the change would make streets and shared spaces safer for everyone, not just those who are blind or have low vision, as more electric vehicles take to Australian roads.