Not-for-profit organisation Vision Australia has made a submission to a federal government public consultation supporting the proposed introduction of an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) to electric vehicles.
It also encouraged Australians who are blind or have low vision to share their views with government to improve safety of electric cars, including any experiences they may have had as pedestrians, such as near misses or collisions.
The consultation, which closed on 26 May, will help decide whether alerting systems for electric vehicles should be mandated in Australia, and when.
Vision Australia said when travelling at low speeds electric vehicles can be hard for pedestrians to hear, proving very risky for the blind and low vision community.
“The Australian Government is deciding whether to make it mandatory for electric vehicles to be fitted with an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) to make it easier for pedestrians to detect them,” it said.
“Specifically, they are determining whether to adopt United Nations Regulation 138/01 as a new Australian Design Rule in electric cars. If mandated, the AVAS could save lives and avoid thousands of injuries.”
According to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, which is managing the consultation process, electric vehicles generate considerably less noise when compared with vehicles with conventional internal combustion engines.
“At low speeds, when tyre and wind noise is negligible, it can be harder for pedestrians to hear electric vehicles, increasing the risk of a collision. These collisions can still cause serious injury and death. The risk is exacerbated for pedestrians who are blind or have poor vision, as they generally rely on sound to negotiate the road network independently,” it said.
“Through the National Road Safety Action Plan 2023-25, the Australian Government has committed to mandating AVAS for electric vehicles, subject to the outcomes of an impact analysis process.”
The government’s Consultation Impact Analysis sought feedback on:
- support for the proposed introduction of AVAS for new light electric vehicles in Australia
- the benefit-cost analysis, including assumptions on the effectiveness of AVAS, the costs and the benefits
- the suitability of adopting United Nations Regulation 138/01 as a new Australian Design Rule under the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018, including any concerns on functional and performance and test requirements
- applicable vehicle categories, implementation timeframes, and alternative standards.
At this stage, the government is proposing to introduce AVAS only for light electric vehicles (vehicle categories MA, MB, MC and NA).
It said while United Nations Regulation 138/01 applies to light and heavy electric vehicles, insufficient data was available to fully assess the case for mandating AVAS for heavy vehicles in Australia. However, it is interested in any information on the costs, benefits and feasibility of mandating AVAS for heavy electric vehicles in the future.
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