[Nfbf-l] FW: [nagdu] British government says silent cars aren'tmore dangerous than regular cars and don't need artificialwarning noises.

[Mark Tardif]

I'm coming in late due to computer problems, but this makes no sense. 
Hybrid cars are much quieter, especially when idling at a traffic light.

Mark Tardif
Welcome to my planet
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sherrill O'Brien" <sherrill.obrien at verizon.net>
To: "NFBFL" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2011 10:40 AM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] FW: [nagdu] British government says silent cars aren'tmore 
dangerous than regular cars and don't need artificialwarning noises.


> This news is frustrating and disheartening.
>
> Sherrill
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]On
> Behalf Of Ginger Kutsch
> Sent: Monday, July 25, 2011 10:27 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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