Starting in 2029, new vehicles sold in Australia will need more electronic safety features to be eligible for sale.
The regulatory change will see emergency lane-keeping systems required on all passenger cars and light goods vehicles in Australia from March 1, 2029. The expansion of mandatory driver assist features will also see requirements for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems expanded to include cyclist detection, adding to the vehicle and pedestrian detection already required.
A staged rollout would see newly introduced models to the Australian market required to have the technology from March 1, 2028, with all vehicles — including those previously introduced — required to comply by March 1, 2029.
The new Australian Design Rule requirement (ADR 107/00) has been aligned with similar international requirements and was developed in conjunction with United Nations Regulations, matching European Union and UN requirements for the operation and implementation of emergency lane keeping systems.
The requirement applies only to passenger cars, utes and vans with a Gross Vehicle Mass of under 3.5 tonnes, leaving ‘heavy commercial-class’ utes like the Toyota LandCruiser, Ineos Grenadier, and American pick-ups like the recently reclassified Chevrolet Silverado exempt. Regulations for those vehicles, along with light trucks, still require AEB with vehicle detection and, from 2028, will need a lane-departure alert, but not the emergency-steering capability required on lighter vehicles.
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During the consultation phase for the proposal, the Federal Government cited data from the Monash University Accident Research Centre, which indicated 42 per cent of fatal crashes on Australian roads were the result of unintended lane departures.
Aligning domestic rules with overseas standards creates a more uniform playing field for manufacturers, potentially simplifying the certification process for models sold globally. Automakers will need to calibrate these systems to handle the specific geometry of Australian roads, which often feature narrower lanes and more frequent roadside hazards than European or American roads. The move signals a broader trend toward treating driver assistance systems as standard safety equipment rather than optional upgrades, reflecting a growing acceptance that technology must actively prevent accidents rather than just monitor them.
Automakers will need to calibrate these systems to handle the specific geometry of Australian roads, which often feature narrower lanes and more frequent roadside hazards than European or American roads.
The move signals a broader trend toward treating driver assistance systems as standard safety equipment rather than optional upgrades, reflecting a growing acceptance that technology must actively prevent accidents rather than just monitor them.
