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From today November 1, all new electric vehicles will be required to be fitted with an alerting system which emits an acoustic sound when the vehicle travels at or under 25km/hr.

After many years of lobbying, Vision Australia’s General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Advocacy Chris Edwards said he is relieved that the mandate has finally come into effect.

“Vision Australia has been calling for an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) to be introduced in Australia since 2018,” said Chris. 

“Our research found that 35% 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 $1.2 billion each year.

“With electric vehicles predicted to make up 90% 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.”
 

Watch our YouTube short interview with Chris Edwards

This legislation will bring Australia into line with international jurisdictions such as the EU, US and Japan, which have long required electric cars to emit safety sounds.

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

“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, busses and other heavy vehicles.”

— Chris Edwards, General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Advocacy