Hong Kong requires an acoustic alarm for electric vehicles

Electric cars are a wonderful invention that reduces pollution and oil demand. But they are also killers.

The main problem is that they are so quiet. Blind people, animals, and those gullible souls walking through parking garages checking their phones all rely on the sound of an approaching car to alert them to its presence.

At low speeds, electric and hybrid vehicles are almost silent, or at least inaudible given the normal ambient noise level.

People have been complaining about this since the 2000s, when those who track these things noticed a rise in accidents involving blind pedestrians. Eventually blind people noticed too, and in Europe there have been heartbreaking stories of blind people stepping unprepared in front of oncoming electric vehicles and meeting their misfortune in the process. In the UK, where the difference between god and dog is just a matter of spelling, there have been heartbreaking stories of guide dogs obediently walking in front of a vehicle when their owner ordered them to do so, not knowing anything was coming.

The first mention of this problem that I can find in Hong Kong is in a 2016 South China Morning Post article, which reported that the blind community had raised awareness of the problem and called for electric vehicles to be fitted with noise-cancelling devices.

See also: Disability should not be a barrier in Hong Kong unless society makes it a

The following year, there was a request on the matter in the Legislative Council (LegCo) from Kenneth Lau, who held and still holds Heung Yee Kuk’s hereditary LegCo seat.

The then Minister of Transport Anthony Cheung responded: “On the one hand, the government has conveyed the wishes of visually impaired people to local electric vehicle suppliers and asked them to proactively install appropriate acoustic warning systems in their electric vehicle models to ensure the safety of road users. On the other hand, the government is closely following the development of relevant international standards.”

It is doubtful whether the wishes of visually impaired people will be met with approval by local suppliers of electric vehicles. However, in many places, corresponding international standards have now been developed.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Transport announced in 2021 that it would change the relevant regulations. All new electric or hybrid vehicles must now have a so-called Acoustic Vehicle Alert System (AVAS).

This is not a particularly onerous requirement, as it is consistent with similar regulations in force in Europe and the US. Electric cars must now emit artificial noise at speeds of up to 10 km/h – beyond that, the sound of the tires on the road should be sufficient – and also when reversing.

This rule is surprisingly controversial on the websites where motorists gather and share their complaints. Some argue that the rule is unnecessary, pointing out that very luxury petrol cars are already as quiet as electric cars, which is no doubt a great comfort when you get hit by one.

However, according to recent research, the situation is worse than one might think. The Guardian reported last week on a study that covered 32 billion miles of battery-powered vehicles and 3 trillion miles of petrol-powered vehicles. The finding was that an electric vehicle is three times more likely to hit a pedestrian in city traffic than a petrol-powered vehicle.

The researchers noted that the lack of noise may not be the only explanation; electric car drivers tend to be younger and therefore more prone to accidents. In addition, a battery adds considerably to the weight of a car, thus increasing the braking distance. In addition, electric cars usually accelerate faster.

Still, the arguments for noisy machines seem pretty compelling. Just one question remains: why have I never heard artificial noises from an electric or hybrid car in Hong Kong? I live in a fairly upscale area where Teslas are popular and regularly replaced. I have heard an electronic whine several times that suggested one was reversing. But when I drive forward, they still sneak up on me silently in parking lots.

This is where we enter the realm of speculation. Some cars have an on/off switch for the AVAS. It is supposed to turn on automatically when you start the car. However, if you find the noise annoying – like some people – you can turn it off immediately.

A more disturbing possibility is that vendors will offer to silently disable the system if owners don’t want it. In the US, an on/off switch is not allowed. Would people be so irresponsible as to post videos online explaining how to disable this security system? You bet.

I have a personal history with this. Before all this came along, I drove a Prius for a few years and occasionally had dicey moments where people who hadn’t heard me whispering tried to throw themselves under my wheels. AVAS systems didn’t exist back then. What a pity.

But now they’re here. If your car has one, for heaven’s sake, please use it.

Support HKFP | Policies and Ethics | Errors/Typos? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency and Annual Report | Apps

Help protect press freedom and keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team