In January 2010 the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issued guidelines for hybrid and other near-silent vehicles. The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010 was approved by the U.S. Congress in December 2010, and the bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011. A proposed rule was published for comment by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in January, 2013. It would require hybrids and electric vehicles traveling at less than to emit warning sounds that pedestrians must be able to hear over background noises. Download the file "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking". The rules are scheduled to go into effect in September 2014. In April 2014 the European Parliament approved legislation that requires the mandatory use of Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS) for all new electric and hybrid electric vehicles, and car manufacturers have to comply within five years.
