Cars will need their electronics to fully function for up to two minutes underwater so people can escape from cars in floodwaters, and audible warnings will sound if a child is left in a parked car under the new national vehicle safety measures to be introduced from next year.
A five-year-old boy died on the weekend when he was trapped inside the cabin of a Toyota Hilux swept off a flooded causeway near Parkes, in the northwest of NSW.
In November last year there were two desperate flood rescues of people from partially submerged cars during the NSW floods, with rescuers struggling to open doors against the pressure of the water.
Measures to be able to lower power windows and open doors to escape from a car trapped by floodwaters will be introduced by the Canberra-based Australian New Car Assessment Program, Australia's independent vehicle safety authority, in line with requirements also being rolled out in Europe.
Vehicles which do not comply with the new measures will not be issued with a five-star ANCAP safety rating, with this rating the standard requirement for purchase consideration by government and most business fleet operators.
As Australia rolls into its third year of La Nina weather conditions, incidents of vehicle occupants being trapped by flooded roads are becoming more commonplace. In an unprotected vehicle electrical system, water entering the vehicle's onboard computer system, wiring harnesses, fuses or relays often causes the electrics to become inoperable.
Power windows are now standard equipment on an estimated 98 per cent of all new vehicles sold because they are cheaper, lighter and less complicated to fit during assembly than wind down windows.
Automatic door locking is also now commonplace, with many vehicles programmed at the factory to lock the doors above a certain speed. Powered door closures are also becoming more common on luxury cars from companies like Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
"Vehicles trapped in flood waters or those that find themselves in a lake, river or other body of water are a danger to their occupants and present difficulties for first responders," ANCAP said in its latest safety bulletin.
"From 2023, vehicle manufacturers will be required to demonstrate how their new vehicles can allow occupants to more easily escape a submerged vehicle, or rescuers to access trapped occupants.
"ANCAP will assess whether car doors are able to be opened without battery power and electric windows remain functional and able to be opened for up to two minutes after submergence."
Safety systems to prevent children being locked inside parked cars in their harnesses will be rolled out from next year.
The Child Presence Detection will monitor the rear seats and/or doors and provide a visual or audible warning through a honk of the car horn, a notification or alert to an app on the driver's mobile phone, or an 'eCall' alert to emergency services.
