Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming an increasingly common sight on Calgary roads. As governments encourage the transition away from gasoline-powered vehicles and manufacturers expand their electric offerings, more Albertans are choosing EVs for their environmental benefits, lower operating costs, and advanced technology.
While electric vehicles offer many advantages, they have also introduced a new safety concern that is attracting attention from regulators, researchers, and road safety advocates. Unlike traditional vehicles, electric vehicles operate almost silently at lower speeds. This reduced noise can make it more difficult for pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users to detect an approaching vehicle.
As Calgary continues to grow and embrace transportation innovation, understanding the relationship between electric vehicles and pedestrian safety is becoming increasingly important.
Why Electric Vehicles Are Harder to Hear
Traditional internal combustion engine vehicles generate a variety of sounds while operating. Engine noise, exhaust systems, and mechanical components all contribute to a vehicle’s audible presence, even when travelling at relatively low speeds.
Electric vehicles function differently. Their electric motors produce significantly less noise, particularly at speeds below approximately 30 kilometres per hour. At these lower speeds, tire and wind noise are minimal, making an EV much quieter than a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle.
This characteristic is especially relevant in urban environments where pedestrians often rely on sound as one of several cues to identify approaching traffic. In parking lots, residential neighbourhoods, school zones, and downtown intersections, a vehicle’s noise can provide an important warning that a vehicle is nearby.
When that auditory cue is reduced or absent, pedestrians may have less time to react to potential hazards.
Vulnerable Road Users Face Unique Challenges
Certain groups may be particularly affected by the quiet operation of electric vehicles. Individuals who are blind or have low vision often rely heavily on auditory information when navigating intersections, crosswalks, parking lots, and sidewalks adjacent to roadways. A vehicle that produces little or no detectable noise can make it more difficult to determine when it is safe to cross.
Children may also face increased risks. Younger pedestrians often have less experience assessing traffic conditions and may be more likely to enter a roadway unexpectedly. If they do not hear an approaching vehicle, their ability to react may be reduced.
Older adults can face similar challenges. Age-related hearing changes, mobility limitations, and slower reaction times can all increase vulnerability when encountering vehicles that are less audible than traditional automobiles.
Cyclists, scooter users, and individuals using mobility devices may likewise benefit from audible cues that help them identify nearby traffic.
Calgary’s Growing EV Population
Electric vehicle adoption has increased steadily across Alberta in recent years. Improvements in battery technology, expanded charging infrastructure, and broader model availability have contributed to growing consumer interest.
Calgary has also invested in transportation initiatives that support cleaner mobility options. As a result, residents are encountering electric vehicles more frequently in residential communities, commercial districts, and shared transportation spaces. This shift means that road users who have traditionally relied on hearing vehicle movement may need to adjust their expectations and habits.
The growing presence of EVs also underscores the importance of ensuring that road design, traffic management, and public awareness campaigns evolve alongside transportation technology.
Safety Regulations and Artificial Vehicle Sounds
Recognizing concerns about quiet vehicles, regulators in many jurisdictions have introduced requirements for artificial sound generation systems. Many modern electric vehicles are equipped with Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS) or similar technology. These systems generate external sounds when a vehicle is travelling at lower speeds, helping pedestrians detect the vehicle’s presence.
The sounds are designed to be noticeable without creating excessive noise pollution. They often resemble a soft electronic hum or other distinctive tone that increases in volume as vehicle speed changes. These systems represent an effort to balance the environmental benefits of quieter vehicles with the practical need for pedestrian awareness.
While artificial sound systems may help reduce risk, they do not eliminate the possibility of car accidents. Pedestrian safety continues to depend on a combination of driver attentiveness, road design, visibility conditions, and responsible behaviour from all road users.
High-Risk Areas for EV-Pedestrian Incidents
Pedestrian collisions involving electric vehicles can occur anywhere, but certain environments may present heightened risks.
Parking lots are one example. Drivers often travel at lower speeds, and pedestrians may move unpredictably between parked vehicles. Because electric vehicles are particularly quiet in these settings, individuals may not immediately recognize that a vehicle is approaching.
Residential neighbourhoods can present similar challenges. Children playing outdoors, pedestrians walking pets, and residents crossing streets may encounter vehicles moving slowly and quietly through local roads.
Downtown Calgary intersections and mixed-use developments may also create complex interactions between pedestrians and vehicles. High levels of activity, traffic congestion, and environmental noise can make it difficult to identify approaching vehicles based solely on sound. These environments highlight why both drivers and pedestrians must remain attentive, regardless of vehicle type.
Liability Following a Pedestrian Collision
When a pedestrian is injured in a motor vehicle collision, the legal analysis generally focuses on the circumstances of the incident rather than the vehicle’s power source. Questions often arise regarding driver conduct, visibility, speed, right-of-way obligations, traffic control devices, road conditions, and pedestrian behaviour.
The fact that a vehicle was electric does not automatically establish fault. However, the quiet nature of an EV may become one factor considered when examining how the collision occurred. For example, investigators may evaluate whether a driver exercised appropriate caution in areas where pedestrians were likely to be present. Evidence such as surveillance footage, witness statements, accident reconstruction reports, and vehicle data may all play a role in understanding the events leading to the collision. Each case depends on its own facts and circumstances.
Adapting to a New Transportation Reality
Electric vehicles are expected to play an increasingly significant role in Canada’s transportation future. Their environmental and economic benefits continue to drive adoption across Alberta and throughout the country.
At the same time, changing vehicle technology requires ongoing attention to public safety. As cities like Calgary adapt to a growing EV population, awareness of potential pedestrian risks remains an important component of road safety planning.
Drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, policymakers, manufacturers, and transportation planners all have a role to play in ensuring that emerging technologies are integrated safely into everyday life.
Understanding the unique characteristics of electric vehicles is one step toward reducing collisions and protecting vulnerable road users in an increasingly electrified transportation landscape.
Injured in a Pedestrian Accident in Alberta? Contact Cuming & Gillespie LLP
Pedestrian accidents can cause serious physical, emotional, and financial consequences. Whether a collision involves an electric vehicle, traditional passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle, rideshare vehicle, or another motorist, injured pedestrians may have questions about insurance claims, compensation, medical expenses, lost income, and their legal rights under Alberta law.
From our office in Calgary, the experienced personal injury lawyers at Cuming & Gillespie LLP represent clients injured in motor vehicle and pedestrian collisions throughout Alberta. To learn about the options available to you after an accident, please contact us online or call (403) 571-0555.