Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act introduced to protect the blind from quiet cars
2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for a high-res image gallery
According to the newly-introduced Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, which was just introduced by U.S. Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), "New vehicles that employ hybrid or electric engine technology can be silent, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other."
For this reason, the aforementioned bipartisan bill would require that the government "conduct a study on how to protect the blind and others from being injured or killed by vehicles using hybrid, electric, and other silent engine technologies." Companies like Lotus Engineering and Harmon International are already one step ahead of this legislation with products intended to add some extra sound to silent vehicles.
Interestingly, it was just over a year ago that the last study into the dangers of hybrid and electric vehicles was started as directed by the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008, leaving us to wonder what progress, if any, has been made on the issue over the last year.
Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius - First Drive
[Source: National Federation of the Blind]
PRESS RELEASE
U.S. Senators John Kerry and Arlen Specter Introduce Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act
National Federation of the Blind Applauds Measure to Protect Lives and Preserve Independence of Blind Americans
WASHINGTON, April 22 -- Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) today introduced a bill, S. 841, intended to protect the blind and other pedestrians from injury or death as a result of silent vehicle technology. The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 requires the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study on how to protect the blind and others from being injured or killed by vehicles using hybrid, electric, and other silent engine technologies.
Because blind pedestrians cannot locate and evaluate traffic using their vision, they must listen to traffic to discern its speed, direction, and other attributes in order to travel safely and independently. Other people, including pedestrians who are not blind, bicyclists, runners, and small children, also benefit from hearing the sound of vehicle engines. New vehicles that employ hybrid or electric engine technology can be silent, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other.
"The National Federation of the Blind appreciates the wise and decisive action taken today by Senators Kerry and Specter to preserve the right to safe and independent travel for the blind," said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind. "The blind, like all pedestrians, must be able to travel to work, to school, to church, and to other places in our communities without being injured or killed. This bill will benefit all pedestrians for generations to come as new vehicle technologies become more prevalent. The blind of America will do everything in our power to ensure its swift passage."
"I'm a major proponent of hybrid vehicles -- I own one, I drive one, and I've seen firsthand their environmental and economic benefits," said Senator Kerry. "The market is demanding new technologies in the auto industry, and Americans are demanding we finally kick our foreign oil addiction. As we continue to promote our energy independence, however, we must do more to ensure the safety of those who use senses other than sight to navigate the roads. I look forward to working with Secretary LaHood to ensure that hybrid vehicles are safe for everyone."
"Blind people have the same right to safe travel as all other pedestrians," said Senator Specter. "I look forward to working with my colleagues on this important legislation to ensure that the blind and other pedestrians can continue to travel safely and independently."
About the National Federation of the Blind
With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Peter 3:44PM (4/23/2009)
What a waste. I'm not surprised that Senators Kerry and Specter are behind it.
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win39 3:06PM (4/23/2009)
This whole hybrid/electric vehicle is silent hysteria seems to be the silliest thing to come down the road since local ordinances required horseless carriages to be preceded by someone carrying a lantern. It also seems part and parcel of not so subtle discouragement campaign against new technology in cars. I have frequently had to rev my engine for sighted pedestrians walking down the middle of the aisle in parking lots to realize there was a car behind them. It has happened with any recent models I have owned from a Honda Civic to a Subaru WRX. It is the ambient noise level generated by cars that masks vehicle noise. All you have to do is stand on the corner of a busy street to realize that it takes a very noisy car indeed to stand out from the background noise. The inability to hear an individual vehicle is not a problem of alternative energy vehicles. And if you really listen you will realize that you mostly are hearing tire noise from moving vehicles. Last I knew tires have not been eliminated on hybrids. I suppose a digitally generated horse hoof clopping sound for hybrids might have a certain charm.
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Eliezer 4:17PM (4/23/2009)
This whole hybrid/electric vehicle is silent hysteria seems to be the silliest thing to come down the road since local ordinances required horseless carriages to be preceded by someone carrying a lantern.
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I'm guessing that lantern ordinance led to the development of headlights, right? The ideas behind some safety laws may be short-sighted, but they often lead to technical innovations that we eventually take for granted.
Snoopy 3:33PM (4/23/2009)
I've already pointed out the stupidity of this in the Lotus and Harman (which, by the way, you guys spelled "Harmon" in the title) http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/04/17/lotus-and-harmon-partner-up-to-add-sound-to-hybrids/, and win39 did a great job of making a very similar point.
It's not necessary, but it would be interesting to have specialty sounds.
How about this for a thought (just to give it a new twist)? What if the majority of the cars on the road were silent instead of really noisy? What if the only thing you heard in the city, as cars went whizzing by, even at high speeds, was the sound of the tires? Wouldn't that be something?
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CraigK 3:45PM (4/23/2009)
Can't we just attach a baseball card to hit the spokes of the wheel? Problem solved...
Snoopy 4:05PM (4/23/2009)
A big thumbs up to that one!
jharlan 3:46PM (4/23/2009)
I wonder how many blind people have been injured by Toyota Prius or Honda Insights in the millions and millions of miles that they have been driven up to now? Oh, you say none? or 1 or 2? And how much of our tax money are they going to give to their crony's to do what? Again? Just like last year. Wake up people. Give me a break!
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brn 6:26PM (4/23/2009)
I suspect it's a lot more than 1 or 2. I would also suspect that it's right in line with traditional vehicles.
I live next to a highway. It's noisy. With some exceptions (you know who you are), I don't hear the engines. I hear the road noise and, to a less extent, the wind noise.
I wonder if low rolling resistance tires make less noise. I suppose they do. Watch out for the silent Cobalt XFE!
harlanx6 7:37PM (4/23/2009)
Is that a new low rolling resistance tire?
Brent 10:58PM (4/26/2009)
I'm gonna be blaring music the entire time I'm in my 9 speaker prius, I don't need toy car noises. I also don't want to pay to or remove this thing myself as well as pay taxes to put it in.
Very lame, hey Kerry, feed some orphans with the tax money instead. Or how about an echo location tip to some walking canes so they can check each direction for moving objects.
Buzz off with the buzzing.
Bill Day 3:53PM (4/23/2009)
We own a 2008 Prius and live in Colorado. We put four studded snow tires on and you can hear it coming from so far away you would think we were driving and old Dodge Diesel pick up truck! For six moths out of the year we definetly do not need to make this car any louder than it already is.
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downtoearth 3:55PM (4/23/2009)
1. What is the difference in noise generated by a hybrid traveling in all-electric mode and a well-soundproofed luxury car cruising with its engine idling?
2. What is the difference in noise generated by a hybrid traveling in all-electric mode and a tram moving at slow speed, particularly on wet tracks (just after the rain)?
3. What is the difference in noise generated by a hybrid traveling in all-electric mode and a trolleybus moving at slow/moderate speed?
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Mike Z 3:59PM (4/23/2009)
So before we pass a law is the evidence of actual documented instances where people have been injured???!!!
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jake 4:51PM (4/23/2009)
Yeah, you would think they would have done some preliminary research to see if this is even an issue. Every single time I see a cry about the danger of hybrids & EVs to the blind there are no facts to back it up.
Tim 4:22PM (4/23/2009)
I can tell you what progress has been made since the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 became law...
We wasted more taxpayer money on Statist central planning BS!
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Richard in FLA 4:25PM (4/23/2009)
I am so sick and tired of the extremism of our political culture to move towards a "solution" when the problem is very isolated and affects very few. Why can't blind people wear a radar detector so that it beeps if there's oncoming vehicles? It's much cheaper. Don't most blind people have seeing eye dogs? What the hell are they for if they don't protect the blind?
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Ray Ray 12:40PM (5/05/2009)
Just get the blind pedestrians listening ear dogs... problem solved...
John Rowell 4:26PM (4/23/2009)
Rather than adding noise to cars where part of their appeal is their quietness, providing blind people with technology to allow them to sense oncoming objects would be far more useful. As downtoearth mentioned, there are other dangers to the blind besides electric cars. It shouldn't be hard for someone to create a small handheld device that a blind person can carry with them that can sense oncoming objects using SONAR, LIDAR, or the like.
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PeterG 4:49PM (4/23/2009)
Ok. I never had anything against Kerry till now. He has officially revealed himself to be a clueless idiot.
Go outside listen to some cars going by at any speed. Any normal modern car and you WILL NOT HEAR THE FRIGGING ENGINE! You hear tire and/or wind noise. You might hear the engine after it is going AWAY from you.
This is one of the all time stupidest things that I keep seeing repeated over and over again by people that are completely out of touch with reality, that don't even take time to test the theory that they claim is needed.
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dhofmann 5:01PM (4/23/2009)
In some European countries, it is the responsibility of the driver (the driver!) not to hit pedestrians and bicyclists. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/26/motoring-cyclingholidays
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