Braking news: New car safety technology to be mandatory in Australia

A lifesaving safety feature may become mandatory across all new cars in Australia as part of a new move that will change the way you drive.

Life-saving self-braking systems could become mandatory in all new cars under changes being considered by the Federal Government.

The technology promises to make roads safer while increasing the price of budget models.

Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) technology is capable of detecting obstacles, other vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists before automatically applying the brakes. The sophisticated technology is standard in two thirds of new cars, but it does not feature on some cheaper models.

Volvo has been a champion of new car safety features.

Toyota attributed a 40 per cent price increase for its new Yaris hatchback to a range of updates in the current model, including a modern suite of driver assistance features.

A government paper examining the impact of the safety technology suggests mandatory implementation of AEB would save 586 lives in the next 35 years. Additionally, 20,600 serious injuries and 73,937 minor injuries would be avoided.

Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, said vehicle technology has an important role to play in reducing the road toll, “which is why we are opening consultation on the introduction of a new standard for AEB”.

The technology has been available for more than a decade.

“This process will allow industry and the community to express their views on the use of AEB across the new light vehicle fleet,” he said.

“We know there is already strong market and consumer demand for AEB systems, with ANCAP Safety research showing a significant increase in the technology being included in the standard fit on light vehicles – going from 18 to 66 per cent in under three years.”

ANCAP – the Australasian New Car Assessment Program – welcomed the proposal to mandate AEB.

Rhianne Robson, director of communications and advocacy for the safety body, said AEB is already standard in 186 new cars, and that the technology has been found to reduce police-reported crashes by 55 per cent, rear-end crashes by 40 per cent and vehicle occupant trauma by 28 per cent.

Most new models feature a degree of autonomous emergency braking.

“The proposed regulatory move will help close the gap among vehicle models that are yet to voluntarily include AEB, and we encourage the introduction of an [Australian Design Rule] that mandates AEB in the same timeframe as the EU to ensure all new car buyers benefit from this important technology,” she said.

The proposed timeline is for newly introduced models to have AEB from July 1, 2022, and for all vehicles on sale to offer the technology by July 1, 2024.

Consultation on the issue is open to public comment until December 10.