Quiet electric cars a danger to blind pedestrians, campaigners warn

Quiet electric cars are a danger to blind pedestrians, according to Maisy McAdam, a guide dog owner from Swindon, Wiltshire. The 29-year-old says some electric vehicles (EVs) are so quiet that she struggles to hear them approaching, which leaves her feeling vulnerable at road crossings. The BBC reported her account.

The charity Guide Dogs says the warning sounds fitted to EVs are not loud enough and cut out too quickly. The Department for Transport (DfT) says the requirements are being kept “under review” as technology evolves. For anyone who walks, drives or owns an electric car, the question is what would change if the rules were tightened, and what the rules already require.

Silent electric vehicles and pedestrian safety: what the rules say now

Sound generators known as Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS) have been applied to new vehicles since July 2021, according to the BBC. They are designed to help pedestrians detect vehicles travelling at low speeds and when reversing. A DfT spokesperson said: “That’s why new EVs are legally required to produce sound at low speeds and when reversing.”

There are gaps, though. The BBC reported that there is no requirement for a vehicle to make a sound when it is temporarily stationary, and that older electric vehicles continue to operate without the technology. Guide Dogs successfully campaigned to make AVAS mandatory on new electric vehicles and for the removal of a switch that let drivers disable the sound. It now wants further changes.

Pete Bungay, Guide Dogs’ policy and campaigns manager for the South West, said: “We believe there’s a problem with the minimum level of sound that’s currently set at 56 decibels.” He also raised concerns about the speed at which the sound cuts off.

Who is affected, and who would pay

The people most directly affected are those who rely on sound to judge when it is safe to cross. McAdam describes her vision as like looking through a tunnel of “frosted glass”. She said crossings and busy car parks are particularly hard. “Cars can literally come out of nowhere,” she said.

Her guide dog is affected too. “Guide dogs walk in straight lines until you tell them to go left or right or they’ll walk around an obstacle,” McAdam said. “So when an electric vehicle comes it really disrupts her working pattern and upsets her.” Janey is three years old. McAdam also said an unheard car could lead her to tell Janey to keep walking when it is not safe, “putting us both at risk”.

On cost, none of the sources puts a figure on the changes Guide Dogs wants. Bungay’s proposals include changes to the MOT so that AVAS is recognised as a critical safety system, and an amendment to the Highway Code on drivers’ responsibility to keep it working. The sources do not say whether that would alter MOT fees, repair costs or vehicle prices, so any claim about who would pay more or less would be guesswork at this stage.

A worked example: where the 20 kph cut-off matters

Guide Dogs’ two main technical complaints are the 56 decibel minimum and the speed at which the sound stops. Bungay said the cut-off is set at 20 kph (12 mph), “whereas around the world that goes up to 30”. Thirty kph is roughly 19 mph.

Take a car moving at 25 kph, about 15.5 mph, which is a realistic speed on a residential street or around a car park. That is above the current 20 kph cut-off, so under the rule as Bungay describes it the sound would no longer be required. Under a 30 kph threshold, the same car would still have to make a warning sound. The example is our own illustration of the numbers, not a case in the BBC report. The gap between 20 and 30 kph is the band of speeds Guide Dogs is concerned about.

What to do now

The BBC report describes no rule change, so nothing new is required of drivers or owners today. AVAS has applied to new vehicles since July 2021. The DfT says it is keeping the requirements under review, and the BBC report gives no date for a decision. The BBC notes that the 2030 end date for sales of new purely petrol and diesel cars remains in place and that more EVs are being made, so the issue is likely to grow.

If you drive an electric vehicle, particularly an older one, it is worth asking the manufacturer or a dealer whether it has a warning sound fitted. That is our suggestion rather than official advice. Guide Dogs wants drivers to understand their responsibility to keep the system maintained and working, and the switch that once allowed the sound to be turned off has already been removed.

If you are a pedestrian with sight loss, or you walk with someone who is, McAdam’s experience suggests car parks and crossings are where the risk is greatest. Drivers can help by taking extra care in those places, where a quiet car may not be heard. If you want to press for rule changes, the DfT is the department that has the requirements under review.

Your questions answered

What type of vehicle kills the most pedestrians?

The sources for this story do not answer that, and we have not found casualty figures in them. The BBC report does not say whether electric vehicles are involved in more or fewer collisions than petrol or diesel cars. The concern raised by McAdam and Guide Dogs is about how easily pedestrians can detect low-speed vehicles, not about a measured casualty rate.

Which EV is the quietest?

The BBC report does not name any make or model. It says some EVs are very hard to hear, that older electric vehicles can run without warning sounds, and that newer ones must produce sound at low speeds and when reversing. Whether a particular car is quiet depends partly on its age and on whether AVAS is fitted and working, according to the report.

Do all electric cars have to make a noise?

Not all of them. The BBC reported that AVAS has been applied to new vehicles since July 2021, but older electric vehicles continue to operate without it. New EVs must produce sound at low speeds and when reversing, though there is no requirement to make a sound when temporarily stationary.