Electric Vehicles... and Public Safety

Electric motors are characterized by their ability to accelerate instantly as soon as the pedal is pressed. This sudden thrust causes a visual deception for other drivers; when a driver looks in their rearview mirror and sees an electric vehicle far away, they make their decision to turn or overtake based on their traditional estimation of car speeds, only to be surprised that the electric vehicle is beside them in a fraction of a second. This defect in estimating "arrival time" is clearly manifested at roundabouts and vital intersections, leading to an increase in sudden collision accidents.

Second: Absence of sound and loss of auditory warning for pedestrians.

Historically, pedestrians on our streets – especially children and the elderly – have relied on the sense of hearing as a first line of defense for road awareness; the noise of fuel engines alerted pedestrians to a car coming from behind them or around a corner, allowing them to take precautions. Today, with the absolute silence of electric vehicles at low speeds, a citizen walking on the side of the road faces the danger of being hit without perceiving any audible cue approaching them, which requires a radical change in human behavior for pedestrians.

(A Roadmap for the Higher Council for Traffic Safety)

These data call for immediate action from the Higher Council for Traffic Safety and executive authorities to establish urgent legislative and technical controls to protect lives, which are determined in the following axes:

1. Mandatory "Blind Spot" system:

Demanding an amendment to import and customs conditions so that the Blind Spot Detection feature is a mandatory specification in all vehicles newly introduced to the Kingdom. This sensitive device gives a decisive light signal on the mirror warning the driver of the presence of an invisible car beside them, which is necessary to protect drivers in general and beginners in particular from the surprise of electric acceleration.

2. Regulating the installation of Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS):

To address the danger of "silent cars," instructions must be issued to allow qualified and specific technical centers to install an artificial warning sound system for vehicles that lack it, according to regulated specifications that ensure pedestrians are alerted without causing noise or chaos in the public street.

3. Updating training curricula and exams:

Driving training centers must be required to include courses explaining the technical characteristics of the electric vehicle (the power of instant torque and the impact of the heavy weight of batteries on braking distance), while developing theoretical and practical exam questions to measure the awareness of applicants on how to deal with them safely.

4. Licensing emergency instant charging companies:

The sudden breakdown of an electric vehicle in the middle of a main or crowded road due to a dead battery constitutes a dangerous obstacle. The optimal solution here is to issue legislation to license private companies that provide instant and fast charging services at the site of the breakdown; this option is considered strategic and far better than using a winch, which requires a long time to arrive and load the vehicle, causing road lanes to close and creating suffocating traffic crises and traffic paralysis.

In conclusion:

Keeping pace with technological development in the transport sector does not mean ignoring safety standards. The new reality puts us before the responsibility of updating our regulatory and awareness tools to ensure a safe Jordanian traffic environment that protects both the driver and the pedestrian alike.

*Transport safety and traffic safety expert, and former lecturer at the Jordanian Traffic Institute.