When Dave Brown stepped off the kerb in Bunda Street, his guide dog Corrie knew he'd made a potentially fatal mistake and rushed in front to protect him from the oncoming car.
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"I heard the squeal of the brakes and luckily ... well, I'm still here," Mr Brown said.
The car which nearly hit him was a common hybrid Camry taxi, which shuts off its four-cylinder engine and uses its batteries at low speeds.
"It wasn't the dog's fault; it's my decision when to step out and I just didn't hear the car coming," he said.
"The driver was very apologetic but it's a significant issue, particularly with so many hybrid and electric cars coming onto the market."
After his close brush with the near-silent approach of a battery-powered vehicle, Mr Brown, who has just 10 per cent vision, fully supports the recent decision by Australia's transport ministers to have a low-speed warning sound, known as an acoustic vehicle alerting system, mandated on hybrid, electric and fuel cell cars next year.
The audible warning, which in its standard form sounds like a jet engine starting up and gradually rising in volume and pitch, has been required on all electric vehicles sold in the European Union since July 1.
The US has been slower to react, but at least 50 per cent of new "quiet" vehicles sold must comply by the end of September, and all such vehicles within 12 months.
The sound must be emitted when these cars are moving forward or reversing.
The original intent of the audio warning was to protect the visually impaired, but it is also now regarded as equally important when it comes to protecting pedestrians crossing roads while looking down at their mobile phones.
A communique issued after the meeting of Australia's Transport and Infrastructure Council in Adelaide early this month states the alerting system will go up for public consultation early next year.
Research released by Vision Australia and Monash University's Accident Research Centre late last year revealed 35 per cent of people who are blind or have low vision surveyed had had either a collision or near-collision with an electric or hybrid vehicle.
UN regulations have provided a common template for the introduction of new vehicle requirements here, aside from engine emissions where Australia lags well behind much of the Western world.
UN Regulation 138 requires the audible warning system to make a continuous noise of 56 decibels if the vehicle is going 20km/h or slower, which is about the same volume as an operating air conditioning unit.
Some electric cars sold in Europe already have the system, but can pause it using a switch. This switch must now be deleted under the new laws.
British car maker Jaguar jumped in ahead the regulations last year to add an odd jet engine noise for its electric I-Pace sedan.
Regulations permit car makers to make their own sound, provided they achieve the volume, pitch and frequency requirements to match the vehicle speed.
Audi's sound engineers took three years to develop a unique sound for its new e-tron electric car, and each of its new electric models will have their own sound "signature". BMW and Mercedes-Benz are adopting a similar approach.
What is unclear at this stage is whether the Australian regulation will, like the European Union, require existing vehicles to be retrofitted with the warning sound.
Vision Australia's government relations manager Chris Edwards has welcomed the move to mandate the warning sound.
"The government has listened to our recommendation and is acting in the interest of all road users," Mr Edwards said.
"With electric vehicles predicted to make up 9 per cent of the entire Australian vehicle fleet by 2050, this outcome is significant for all pedestrians, especially people who are blind or have low vision who rely more heavily on other sensory systems such as hearing and touch.
"This isn't going to be an overnight fix, nevertheless we're pleased significant steps are being taken address what is a serious safety issue for all pedestrians, not just those who are blind or have low vision."
Recent tests conducted in Norway, which has the highest electric vehicle penetration of any developed market in the world, have revealed that the standard warning volume of 56 decibels may not even be loud enough, given other ambient traffic sounds and background noise, to improve pedestrian safety.
In Canberra, all newly leased ACT government passenger fleet vehicles, where fit for purpose, will be zero-emission or electric vehicles from 2020-21. The government is purchasing 20 Hyundai Nexo fuel cell vehicles, which use hydrogen to make on-board electricity, late this year.