[Quietcars] David Strickland at SAE Safety, April 15

[Robert Wilson]

Hi,

I didn't see anyone post this article:

http://detnews.com/article/20100416/AUTO01/4160349/NHTSA-chief-talks-safety-at-SAE-World-Congress

"NHTSA chief talks safety at SAE World Congress
David Shepardson and Alisa Priddle / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Federal regulators are moving quickly to make near-silent hybrid vehicles safe for pedestrians, avoid backing-up accidents and minimize driver distraction.

Quiet electric and hybrid vehicles "could potentially put pedestrians at risk, especially blind pedestrians," said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration head David Strickland.

At the Society of Automotive Engineers' annual World Congress, Strickland said Thursday that data from 12 states "shows that hybrid electric vehicles do have a significantly higher incidence rate of pedestrian crashes than internal combustion engines for certain maneuvers -- like slowing or stopping, backing up, entering or leaving a parking space, and making a turn."

. . .

Other safety experts at the conference urged NHTSA to move cautiously.

When it comes to safety improvements, "be careful what you wish for," said David Champion, senior director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports.

"You have to look at the consequences of improving one aspect of a vehicle that it doesn't harm another."

For example, wider pillars may prevent roofs from crushing in rollover accidents, Champion said, but they may impede drivers' vision.

Also, he noted, Ford Motor Co. made changes in its Escape between 2001 and 2008 that improved fuel efficiency, but the vehicle had a longer stopping distance when the driver hit the brakes.

Safety should not be an option, but standard and global, said Beth Schwarting, a vice president with Delphi Electronics and Safety.

James Vondale, director of Ford's automotive safety office, said he is concerned there will be a dual system of regulations: one U.S. and one for everyone else."

NOTE: Some of us have read the flawed, NHTSA report and noted that vehicle registrations were not used to calculate the rates. So this report counted incidents and tried to draw conclusions without measuring the true risks. Worse, pickup trucks and SUVs were not part of the study. Other reports including one by the NHTSA indicate that when pedestrian accident rates by type of vehicle are used, noisy pickups and SUVs predominate.

Bob Wilson
 		 	   		  
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