[nagdu] British government says silent cars aren't more dangerous than regular cars and don't need artificial warning noises.

[Michael Hingson]

This is unfortunate and is counter to what the U.S. government has found
Even simple logic will show anyone that silent cars pose a greater risk.


Mike Hingson

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-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Ginger Kutsch
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2011 7:27 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] British government says silent cars aren't more dangerous
than regular cars and don't need artificial warning noises.

British government says silent cars aren't more dangerous than regular cars
and don't need artificial warning noises.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/quiet-electric-cars-pose-no-da
nger-to-visually-impaired-2319557.html

 

Quiet electric cars 'pose no danger' to visually impaired

 

Warning sounds will not be added to vehicles as government report deems them
unnecessary

 

By Matt Chorley, Political Correspondent 

 

Sunday, 24 July 2011

 

Electric cars will continue to creep up silently on unsuspecting pedestrians
after a study found they were scarcely more dangerous than their
gas-guzzling counterparts.

 

The Government will this week reject calls for artificial warning noises to
be broadcast by the zero-emission vehicles, despite concerns raised by
campaigners for blind and partially sighted people.

 

A growing number of drivers facing rising fuel prices are opting for
electric cars or hybrid models, which switch from petrol to electric and
back. But they make almost no noise at all, making it hard for passers-by,
particularly those with visual impairments, to notice them.

 

Safety experts and charities called for silent vehicles to emit noises, with
some manufacturers suggesting motorists could choose from a range of sounds,
from super-cars to the podracers from Star Wars. The Guide Dogs for the
Blind Association has warned electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles that
operate on electric power at low speed, are "virtually silent". As a result
there are "serious implications for the independent mobility and safety of
blind and partially sighted people".

 

However, a study commissioned by the Department for Transport will warn that
"careful consideration" needs to be given to the "challenging" idea of
adding artificial sounds, because it risks having little impact against
general background noise.

 

Norman Baker, the Lib Dem transport minister, said ahead of the report's
publication that the Government remains "committed to the introduction of
electric vehicles in a way that will complement long-standing efforts to
protect vulnerable road users".

 

He added: "Concerns about quiet vehicles are understandable, and we need to
make sure that electric vehicles do not pose any additional threat to
pedestrians. All drivers have a responsibility to drive safely and with
consideration for other road users."

 

A series of experiments on test tracks measured the noise produced by four
electric and four internal combustion engine cars travelling at different
speeds and performing manoeuvres including parking and pulling away.

 

The research, due to be published tomorrow, will show that at low speeds of
7-8 kmh (5mph) electric cars were just one decibel quieter than petrol cars.
When speeds were increased to more than 20 kmh (12mph), the noise levels
were "similar", with tyre noise dominating. "There does not appear to be any
significant difference in the acoustic nature of [internal combustion
engine] vehicles and [electric and hybrid] vehicles, and as such nothing
suggests a pedestrian would clearly be able to differentiate between vehicle
types," the report says.

 

In a separate test, 10 visually impaired people listened to audio recordings
taken from the test track, as if they were waiting on a kerbside, to
determine at what point they could hear the vehicle. It found that in a
semi-rural environment, the risk posed by electric cars was 1.4 times
greater than standard vehicles, and 1.3 times greater in urban conditions.
Electric cars were "far more difficult to detect" when pulling away.

 

The study found that while electric cars may pose a "potential risk" to
visually impaired pedestrians, especially in city centres, "the scale of the
problem is currently very small". The issue is also complicated by the
development of increasingly quiet petrol and diesel engines, in response to
demand for a quieter driving experience.

 

Last month the coalition faced fierce criticism for pulling the plug on
plans for a national network of "charging points", promised in the
Conservative manifesto. Ministers said there was a lack of demand, because
most electric car owners would charge them overnight at home.

 

 

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