[nfb-talk] U.S. Senators John Kerry and Arlen Specter IntroducePedestrian Safety Enhancement Act

Mon Apr 27 14:02:06 UTC 2009

Well, nobody is perfect.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cindy Handel" <cindy425 at verizon.net>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 8:37 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] U.S. Senators John Kerry and Arlen Specter 
IntroducePedestrian Safety Enhancement Act

> Maybe the other lesson to be learned is to not order your dog to go 
> forward,
> against his better judgment.  After all, that's what he's supposed to do.
>
> Cindy
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "John G. Heim" <jheim at math.wisc.edu>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 8:37 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] U.S. Senators John Kerry and Arlen Specter
> IntroducePedestrian Safety Enhancement Act
>
>
> I used to think this quiet car stuff was non-sense. I have two friends 
> with
> hybred cars. On their first day with the car, each of them pulled up in
> front of me to pick me up and each time I was surprised by how much noise
> their ccars made. In fact, each time I wasn't sure it was them. There
> clearly was a car there, I could hear the tires on the pavement. I guess I
> couldn't hear the engine but it didn't strike me as unusual. I think
> gasoline engines are far quieter than people realise. Anyway, my friends
> pulled up in front of me in their hybred cars running on the electric 
> motor
> and said, "How about that? pretty quiet, huh?" And I just agreed, "Um, 
> yeah.
> Sure." I didn't want to burst their bubble but there is no way anyone 
> could
> fail to hear their cars coming.
>
> But recently, I was crossing a fairly busy street. Kind of a typical
> suburban feeder route. This is a street that a lot of the other 
> residential
> streets feed into. Neighborhoods are designed that way these days. As I
> crossed the street, I was shocked to realize that I'd stepped in front of 
> a
> car. The car had slowed to make a right turn and I'd stepped in front of 
> it.
> When it zoomed past behind me, I heard the tires but never heard the 
> engine
> and realized that it was probably a hybred. I'm not sure what conditions 
> had
> made it possible for me to miss that car. Wind, other noiser cars, 
> etcetera.
> Probably the worst of it was that I'd ordered my guide dog to go forward
> against his better judgement. And I can't imagine what the driver thought.
>
> So, yeah, we need this legislation. Even the ultimate skeptic concurs.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Freeh,Jessica (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)"
> <JFreeh at nfb.org>
> To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 12:17 PM
> Subject: [nfb-talk] U.S. Senators John Kerry and Arlen Specter Introduce
> Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act
>
>
>
> 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
>
>
> />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, DC (April 22, 2009): Senators John
> Kerry (D-MA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) 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.
>
>
>
>
>
>
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