[Quietcars] 2009 Washington Seminar Materials

[michael townsend]

Bob, your post is a good one to quell the hysteria that accompanies such
legislation.  You hear of incidents that occur daily where people back over
their kids in their own driveways in NYC, the NJ suburbs, and so on, and
what does this mean?  It was an ACCIDENT.  Parents can't control their kids
24/7/365.  As any of you who travel about knows readily, kids will dart out
in traffic to retrieve a ball with which they're playing, or they'll walk
directly in front of a moving car going 25 miles per hour on a side street,
crossing not at a light, not at a corner, but mid-block.  I thank you for
pointing these things out, Bob, and I say again, legislation can only go so
far and we pedestrians, blind, sighted, wheelchair users, hard of hearing or
whomever, must be ACCOUNTABLE for our actions.  

Thank you sir for posting this.  I've chosen to save a lot of these
exchanges and this counts in the top ten in the past six months.  Not
because it agrees with my position, but because it's real world and not
fantasy.  

 

-----Original Message-----
From: quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Robert Wilson
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 9:46 PM
To: Quiet Cars
Subject: Re: [Quietcars] 2009 Washington Seminar Materials



Hi Chuck,

----------------------------------------
> From: ckrugman at sbcglobal.net
> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
> Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:54:03 -0800
> Subject: Re: [Quietcars] 2009 Washington Seminar Materials
>
> I'm not sure why there is any negative concerns about legislation 
> governing quiet cars. This legislation impacts safety for all, not just
the blind.
> This legislation is based on safety factors and what is best for all.

Do you have either Federal or State accident data showing hybrid electrics
are more dangerous than ordinary gas cars?

> . . . It is
> no different than mandatory seat belt laws, increased penalties for 
> drunk drivers or environmental emission standards.

Those safety systems have accident statistics that show they are effective.
Where are actual accident records showing hybrids are more dangerous than
ordinary gas cars?

. . .
> Chuck Krugman, M.S.W., Paralegal

As a 'paralegal', you are no doubt familar with 'habius corpus' which means
"where are the bodies?" It is legal concept that means you don't hold
someone responsible if there is no evidence of a crime. Given there are
4,700 pedestrian deaths every year, show us the data in the NHTSA accident
records of a problem. 

Last summer, we looked through the Fatality Accident Recording System and
between 2002-2006 (the years available as of last summer,) we could not find
a single blind pedestrian death by hybrid. At the June 23 hearing, no one
presented a single case of a blind fatality by hybrid. Yet we know from the
accident records that about 5 blind pedestrians die each year ... no record
of any hybrid involvement. 

Last June, the only blind injury reported at the June 23 hearing was a
back-over accident by a Prius. But back-over accidents are being addressed
by the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2007 that was signed
into law in February 2008. In fact we brought an NHTSA report to the June 23
hearing that addressed the issue of back-over accidents.

The Chip Chidester report we submitted documented one of year backover
accidents in which 50 kids were backed over and 25 died. Usually, the driver
didn't stop until the body showed up in front of the car. One kid was a two
year backed over and killed by her mother. Another was a kid backed-over by
a SUV that had its 'object warning system' turned off. So when someone
reports their foot was run over by backing up Prius, it underlines the
reason why the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act was long over
due. BTW, the Prius issues a beep when it is put in reverse yet that sound
didn't prevent the feet being run over ... did it.

Regardless, we look forward to a public debate that brings out the facts and
data. We welcome a fact based discussion.

Bob Wilson
625k Inc.


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