[blparent] Media Advisory: Major Pedestrian SafetyLegislationto be Introduced

Tue Oct 13 22:20:12 UTC 2009

My coworker was just telling me that is battery for the hybrid died. It will
cost him $3,000 to replace. I have my doubts about this car catching on.

And yes I think I did encounter one of these. Luckily I already have to be
on the look out for bicycles and cars with idling engines rolling down the
hill so I heard the tire noise. I thought it was weird I didn't hear the
engine until I remembered the hybrids. lol 
Eileen

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Deborah Kent Stein
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 1:28 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Media Advisory: Major Pedestrian SafetyLegislationto
be Introduced

Hi Eileen,

This is really off topic for this list, but since I've been actively 
involved on the hybrid car question for the past few years I can't resist 
weighing in.  Hybrids vary a lot, depending on the model.  They all switch 
back and forth between electric and combustion power.  In electric power at 
slow speeds they're extremely hard to hear.  When they're going faster, 
above 15 or 20 mph, we can hear the tire noise and wind rush even if the 
electric motor is running.

It's true you might sense the disturbance of other sounds as a quiet car 
glides past, but at that point it's too close for comfort.  Where these cars

(and buses) are most dangerous right now is on side streets without traffic 
lights, in parking-lots, pulling out of alleys and driveways - places where 
traffic moves relatively slowly and without a predictable pattern.

We're especially concerned because alternative-fuel technologies are so much

on the horizon, and the more extremely quiet cars there are on the roads, 
the greater the risk.  A Canadian manufacturer just announced that it plans 
to release an all-electric plug-in car next year which can go up to 80 mph 
and travel 200 miles on one charge, all under silent electric power. 
Hydrogen-powered vehicles, when they are developed and marketed, will also 
be very quiet.  We're trying to tackle the problem now, before it becomes 
much larger and harder to deal with.

There is a quiet cars website with more information at quietcars.nfb.org 
Also you can sign up for a quiet cars listserv from www.nfbnet.org .

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Debbie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eileen" <eileenlevin at comcast.net>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 10:09 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] Media Advisory: Major Pedestrian Safety 
Legislationto be Introduced

> Has anyone encountered the hi-brid on the road? Is there some where we
> can hear a demo of how they sound at an intersection? I would think that
> in a high traffic situation there would be some evidence of their
> presence because of the sounds that they block. Kind of like a building
> or parked vehicles. But I don't travel on foot any more these days so
> never experienced one of these cars first hand. I was under the
> impression that they use combustion as soon as they start to accellerate
> but switch to electric power when they are sitting at a stop light.
> Eileen
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of David Andrews
> Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 1:59 AM
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> Subject: [blparent] Media Advisory: Major Pedestrian Safety Legislation
> to be Introduced
>
>
>
>>
>>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>>
>>CONTACT:
>>Christopher S. Danielsen
>>Public Relations Specialist
>>National Federation of the Blind
>>(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
>>(410) 262-1281 (Cell) <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
>>
>>MEDIA ADVISORY
>>
>>Major Pedestrian Safety Legislation to be Introduced
>>
>>Representatives Edolphus "Ed" Towns (D-NY) and Cliff Stearns (R-FL)
>>will announce the introduction of legislation intended to protect
>>the blind and other pedestrians from injury or death as a result of
>>silent vehicle technology at a press conference on Wednesday.  The
>>legislation is supported by the National Federation of the Blind,
>>the nation's oldest and largest organization of blind people.
>>
>>Date:   Wednesday, April 9, 2008
>>Time:   12:00 p.m.
>>Place:  Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2247
>>              Washington, DC 20515
>>
>>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.  Many new vehicles,
>>particularly those using hybrid or electric engine technology, are
>>silent, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where
>>vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other.  This
>>bill will ensure the safety of pedestrians who, for whatever reason,
>>do not see a vehicle approaching and are placed at risk for injury
>>or even death.
>>
>>
>>###
>
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