Petition launched for mandatory sound emitters on electric cars

Twenty-two year old Josaiah Fue was crossing the road one day when he was almost knocked off his feet. The culprit? An electric car.

“I was crossing the top of Whittaker Place in Auckland City, and I just got clipped,” explains Fue. “The driver started beeping at me, and I’m obviously angry ‘cause I got clipped. We ended up having a whole altercation over it.”

This incident is one of many that prompted Fue to launch a petition to make sound emitters mandatory on all electric vehicles.

Fue, a music teacher, believes that electric cars pose a serious risk to blind and low-vision pedestrians like himself, as they often lack sound, making it difficult for pedestrians to detect the vehicles approaching.

Fue would like to take the petition to the Government, with Blind Low Vision New Zealand estimating one-third of the blind community has had an incident with an EV.

Fue had the idea for his petition after speaking with other visually impaired people.

“The blind community as a whole has actually been lobbying for this change. There are a lot of people getting hit.”

It’s not just visually impaired people who are at risk. “A lot of people are just worried for their children, which I can fully understand.”

Fue explains a sound emitter works by beeping like a truck would, or it can just make an engine sound, so it just sounds like a car.

The sound emitters are available online for $80 or can be bought in bulk from $40 each. 

“We’re not asking for millions here, we’re just asking for safety.”

Fue believes sound emitters should be partially government-funded, and people can pay for the rest themselves.

“I personally think asking a driver to chip in $30 to $40 is definitely a reasonable price. If you can afford a $20,00+ EV, I’m very sure you can afford $30.”

Sound emitters are already compulsory in some EVs overseas.

“In Australia and most of Europe, and in America now as well, it actually is mandatory. Because it’s mandatory in all those countries, a lot of the newer cars already have these features built in.”

Blind Low Vision New Zealand is hosting a Day of Action for the petition on November 12. The organisation is encouraging people to sign the petition and provide feedback on NZTA’s consultation about new safety features for vehicles imported into the country.

The petition is open from now till July next year, and can be signed here on the Parliament website or by directly contacting Blind Low Vision via email.

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