[Blind-rollers] Blind-rollers Digest, Vol 35, Issue 6

[Kerry Thompson]

Thanks for posting this.

Solidarity and Peace,
Kerry


>Message: 1
>Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 05:51:08 -0500
>From: "Freeh,	Jessica" <JFreeh at nfb.org> (by way of David Andrews
>	<dandrews at visi.com>)
>To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
>Subject: [Blind-rollers] Key Stakeholders Agree on Measures to Protect
>	Blind Pedestrians from Silent Cars
>Message-ID: <auto-000153104782 at mailfront2.g2host.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed
>
>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>
>
>CONTACT:
>
>Chris Danielsen
>
>Director of Public Relations
>
>National Federation of the Blind
>
>(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
>
>(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
>
><mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
>
>Key Stakeholders Agree on Measures to
>Protect Blind Pedestrians from Silent Cars
>
>Urge Passage as Part of Motor Vehicle Safety Act
>
>Baltimore, Maryland (May 19, 2010): The National 
>Federation of the Blind (NFB), the American 
>Council of the Blind (ACB), the Alliance of 
>Automobile Manufacturers (AAM), and the 
>Association of International Automobile 
>Manufacturers (AIAM) announced today that they 
>have agreed on proposed legislative language that 
>will protect blind pedestrians and others from 
>the danger posed by silent vehicle technology. 
>The four organizations are urging Congress to 
>adopt and pass the language as part of the Motor 
>Vehicle Safety Act of 2010?which is currently 
>pending in both houses of Congress?as quickly as 
>possible.  The proposed language would require 
>the Department of Transportation to promulgate a 
>motor vehicle safety standard requiring 
>automobiles to emit a minimum level of sound to 
>alert the blind and other pedestrians.
>
>Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National 
>Federation of the Blind, said: ?The National 
>Federation of the Blind commends the automobile 
>industry for its leadership on this issue and for 
>its genuine concern for the safety of blind 
>Americans, cyclists, runners, small children, and 
>other pedestrians.  We look forward to working 
>with the parties to this agreement, the United 
>States Congress, and the Department of 
>Transportation to ensure that <?xml:namespace 
>prefix = st1 ns = 
>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" 
>/>America?s streets remain safe, both for those 
>who drive and for those who do not.?
>
>"Good policy is a collaborative effort, and this 
>is a good approach for pedestrians and 
>automakers," said Dave McCurdy, President and CEO 
>of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
>
>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, 
>cyclists, runners, seniors, 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.
>
>A recent report released by the National Highway 
>Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that 
>hybrid and electric vehicles are nearly twice as 
>likely to be involved in accidents with 
>pedestrians as vehicles with internal combustion engines.
>
>###
>
>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.