Car manufacturers in the United States have been given another six months to ensure their electric and hybrid vehicles emit alert sounds when they approach pedestrians.
A group representing many major automakers, including General Motors, Volkswagen, and Toyota, had asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to extend the September 1 deadline by a full year. Instead, the NHTSA has confirmed it will extend the date for full compliance to March 1, 2021.
Taking into account the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the NHTSA said the six-month delay “strikes a reasonable balance between providing necessary regulatory relief and implementing,” Reuters notes.
The rules require automakers to add sounds to vehicles when they are moving at speeds of up to 18.6 mph (30 km/h) to prevent injuries among pedestrians, cyclists, and the blind who may otherwise not see them. Regulators say that at higher speeds, tire noise, wind resistance, and other factors eliminate the need for alert sounds.
The NHTSA has estimated the rules will cost the auto industry about $40 million annually because companies will need to add an external waterproof speaker to comply. However, the NHTSA adds the benefits of reduced injuries are estimated at $250 million to $320 million annually. The agency has added that the odds of a hybrid vehicle being involved in a pedestrian crash are 19 per cent higher than with a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle.
The National Federation of the Blind praised the decision in a joint statement with auto trade group Auto Innovators.