[Njabs-talk] President Signs Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act

[EVELYN E. VALDEZ]

President Signs Pedestrian  Safety Enhancement Act


Washington, D.C. (January 5, 2011): The National Federation of the Blind today commended 

President Barack Obama for signing into law the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement 

Act (S. 841), which will protect the blind and other pedestrians from injury as 

a result of silent vehicle technology.   
 
“The National Federation of the 

Blind is pleased that this critical legislation has been signed into law, 

preserving 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, and we must be able to hear 

vehicles in order to do so.  This law, which is the result of collaboration 

among blind Americans, automobile manufacturers, and legislators, will benefit 

all pedestrians for generations to come as new vehicle technologies become more 

prevalent.  We look forward to 

working with the Department of Transportation throughout the regulatory 

process.”
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.


###
 
 
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.  

Please visit our Web site: www.nfb.org.