[nfbmi-talk] Fw: [Missouri-l] Fw: [Quietcars] From yesterday's USA Today

fred olver goodfolks at charter.net
Thu Nov 12 14:36:45 UTC 2009


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chip Hailey" <chiphailey at cableone.net>
To: <missouri-l at moblind.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 10:32 PM
Subject: [Missouri-l] Fw: [Quietcars] From yesterday's USA Today


>>
>> http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2009/11/620001194/1
>> ****
>> Hybrid cars hit pedestrians and bikers more often than conventional 
>> cars, study finds
>>
>> Hybrid vehicles, which creep along almost silently at low speeds on 
>> electric power, are more likely to hit pedestrians or bicycles than 
>> regular cars, a
>> study by the
>> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
>> finds.
>>
>> The report (see it by
>> clicking here
>> ) is sure to give a boost to the movement to require hybrid cars to 
>> include noisemakers so that bikers, pedestrians -- especially the 
>>  blind -- know they
>> are coming. Several makers already say they have
>> such a system on the way.
>>
>> The NHTSA report was actually done about a month ago, but didn't come  to 
>> light until it was
>> reported by  Consumer Reports last week
>> . It compared the rate of accidents among hybrid vehicles and powered 
>> only by gas engines when it comes to pedestrians and bikes. Said 
>> Consumer Reports
>> on its blog:
>>
>> block quote
>> NHTSA looked at state-level crash files to compare crash rates on  these 
>> two types of vehicles. Out of 8,387 hybrids 77 (or 0.9%) were  involved 
>> in crashes
>> with pedestrians. Out of 559,703 conventional vehicles studied, 3,578 
>> (or 0.6%) were involved in crashes with pedestrians. In crashes 
>> involving bicyclists,
>> 48 (or almost 0.6%) were involved in crashes with a hybrid vehicle 
>> whereas conventional vehicles were implicated in 1,862 (or 0.3%) of 
>> crashes.
>>
>> block quote end
>>
>> It's a shame in a way. For decades, automakers have been trying to 
>> figure out how to make cars quieter. So finally they come up with 
>> vehicles so quiet that
>> about the only sounds is the gravel crushing under the wheels and, lo 
>> and behold, it could be too dangerous because no one can hear it coming.
>>
>> So the question is, how to create the proper hybrid noisemaker? Should 
>> it be a high-tech, spaceship sound? Maybe make it kind of a white  noise 
>> like a TV
>> that doesn't work? Once Drive On heard a car coming a half-mile away. 
>> When it came into sight, it was a 1963 Chevrolet Impala low-rider 
>> blaring Led Zeppelin
>> from a pair of forward-aimed speakers. Thought it was pretty cool at  the 
>> time.
>
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