AEB to be compulsory in Australia from 2023

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) will be mandatory on all new cars launched from March 1, 2023, and all new models available for sale in Australia from March 2025.

After flagging the move late last year, the federal government has now enacted legislation that mandates AEB under Australian Design Rules (ADR) 98/00 and 98/01, which covers all passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle mass under 3.5 tonnes.

That means delivery vans and Australia’s top-selling utes such as the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger are also covered under the mandate, which the federal government expects will “save 581 lives, and prevent 20,433 serious and 73,340 minor injuries over 35 years”.

AEB works to prevent or minimise potential nose-to-tail crashes by stepping in and braking the vehicle if the system senses that a collision is imminent and the driver fails to take appropriate action.

The mandate initially only applies to basic AEB systems that can detect other vehicles.

However, under the new legislation, pedestrian detection capability must be incorporated by August 1, 2024, for new models being launched, before all vehicles purchased new come under this rule two years later.

Announcing the new standards today, the federal assistant minister to the deputy prime minister, Kevin Hogan, said the progressive rollout was designed to give car-makers “the time needed to effectively make the transition”.

“AEB systems detect likely forward collisions with another vehicle or pedestrian, provide the driver with a warning and if the driver does not respond, apply the brakes automatically,” he said.

“To date, many systems have been unable to detect pedestrians. These new national road vehicle standards would require light vehicle AEB systems to detect likely forward collisions with both vehicles and pedestrians to help keep some of our most vulnerable road users safe as well.”

The legislative change has been welcomed by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) – Australia’s peak safety testing body – which has been encouraging the voluntary fitment of AEB technology by manufacturers since 2012.

ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg described the announcement as “a welcome step in closing the gap to ensure all new vehicles are equipped with this life-saving technology”, considering the organisation’s latest study shows 89.5 per cent of all new vehicles sold are available with AEB.

“This is a significant achievement, and the automotive industry is to be congratulated for its efforts in achieving such a high fitting rate ahead of regulatory intervention,” she said.

“Voluntary fitment alone, however, cannot achieve full market coverage. The mandating of AEB will push manufacturers that have been slow to introduce this technology to catch up – ensuring 100 per cent of new Australian vehicles will have the benefit of AEB from March 2025.”