[Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds of silence? information Article

Fri Jul 16 18:32:05 UTC 2010

Bob, my theories on this blind and other pedestrian interface with autos and
vehicular accidents is that, first off, good orientation skills play a major
part in how people interact on the street, in parking lots and around cars
in general.  Be you blind or sighted, you have to be responsible for your
actions and make assumptions about vehicles around you and the people who
drive them.  Sometimes, it is not correct to assume, nor can you always
guess correctly.  And, adding to the mix, if you use a guide dog, you are
safer, in some instances, than if you use a cane, as the guide dog will
alert you to circumstances and keep you from being laced in harm's way v.
using a cane, during which time and usage, you must play a very critical
role in accident avoidance.  You have NO safety net but your knowledge,
skills and circumstance.

Add to this, that the schools training guides, at least for the past few
years, have had a hybrid car on staff, and that has allowed many of the
schools who could afford to do so, to purchase a hybrid and get the dogs and
handlers familiar with the vehicle on campus and in the cities in which the
guides were trained.  

I have stressed n list that those persons who are not as familiar with the
hybrids as they should be, should contact their state agencies who teach
mobility, contact friends who have a hybrid and familiarize themselves with
the ins and outs of the vehicle, so that they can work, around a hybrid in
as safe a manner as possible and not just jump on the "we hate hybrids
bandwagon" as a lot of people do without credible foundation.  

I was surprised to hear of how low the stats were which reflected with
direct contact with a hybrid, causing death of a blind person.  There are
probably more scares around a quieter car, but, I am concerned that sinc3e
we can't see whether a particular car that has come close to us is a hybrid
or not that we make general assumptions that it is and mischaracterize the
car or vehicle incorrectly.  

MOST cars are quieter today than they were even five years ago because of
noise abatement issues that are imposed upon the auto industry by
communities, so we must truly be careful in assessing this whole scenario of
quieter vehicle "assaults" in this country.  

Interesting reading, Deb and bob.  thanks for the thoughts.

-----Original Message-----
From: quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Robert Wilson
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 4:16 PM
To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds of silence?
Information Article

Hi Debra,

In this we will just have to agree to disagree. Noisy cars already kill the
blind every year and a noisy Prius will be just as deadly as the rest.
Adding noise all the time repeats the same auto experience of the past 100
years without improving the current rate of fatal accidents.

In contrast, accident avoidance systems addresses the 37,000 total auto
deaths in 2008 including 4,300 pedestrians and about five blind each year.
Accident systems are a universal solution but like you said, they remain an
independent, disconnected effort. Sad to say, delayed by costs and
availability.

Bob Wilson

----------------------------------------
> From: dkent5817 at att.net
> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
> Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 23:21:02 -0500
> Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds 
> of silence? Information Article
>
>
>
> Dear Bob,
>
> Thanks for the info about the new Volvo. The Stearns Amendment is not 
> walking away from technology such as this, which sounds like a clear 
> benefit to pedestrians and drivers. It is not an either/or 
> proposition. However, the Volvo system goes into effect when a 
> pedestrian has stepped into the road in front of a car and is clearly 
> in danger; a warning sound, such as that called for in the Stearns 
> Amendment, may prevent pedestrians from stepping into a car's path in 
> the first place. As the old adage says, an ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure.
>
> Debbie
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert Wilson" 
> To: 
> Sent: Monday, July 05, 2010 8:23 PM
> Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds of silence?
> Information Article
>
>
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I was just reading this article about the new Volvo:
>> http://www.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1046844_2011-volvo-v60-wag
>> on-makes-debut
>>
>> ". . .
>> There's also an advanced Pedestrian Detection safety system that can 
>> detect pedestrians who walk into the road in front of the car, warn 
>> the driver--and automatically apply full braking power if the driver 
>> does not respond in time. In an emergency situation the driver first 
>> receives an audible warning combined with a flashing light in the 
>> windscreen's head-up display. At the same time, the car's brakes are 
>> pre-charged. If the driver does not react to the warning and an 
>> accident is imminent, full braking power is automatically applied.
>> . . ."
>>
>> This is the technology that the Sterns Amendment is walking away from.
>>
>> Bob Wilson
>>
>>> Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 11:32:09 -0400
>>> From: mrtownsend at optonline.net
>>> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: [Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds of silence?
>>> Information Article
>>>
>>> A really well written article that doesn't play the blame game as 
>>> many articles on this and other lists do.
>>>
>>> Mike T in NJ
>>>
>>>
>>> Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds of silence?
>>>
>>> By KEN THOMAS
>>> July 4, 2010 - 9:18am
>>>
>>> WASHINGTON (AP) - The age of the silent hybrid may be coming to an end.
>>>
>>> Gas-electric hybrids, propelled by electric motors at low speeds, 
>>> are well-known for their quiet ride and great mileage. But their 
>>> silence isn't always golden.
>>>
>>> Some researchers and safety groups say that quiet operation _ 
>>> "hybrid creep"
>>> _ can pose risks for unsuspecting pedestrians and the blind, who use 
>>> sound cues.
>>>
>>> Advocates for the blind have sought the addition of artificial 
>>> noises in hybrids for several years, concerned that the expected 
>>> sales growth of hybrids could lead to more pedestrian fatalities and 
>>> injuries. Hybrids account for about 2 percent of new car sales each 
>>> year but auto companies are expected to boost production in advance 
>>> of tougher fuel efficiency standards this decade.
>>>
>>> "This is an example of too much of a good thing," said John Pare, 
>>> executive director for strategic initiatives with the National 
>>> Federation of the Blind. "Cars got quieter, that was good. Suddenly 
>>> they got to be so quiet that it added an element of danger."
>>>
>>> The government's auto safety agency said in a research report last 
>>> year that hybrid vehicles are twice as likely to be involved in 
>>> pedestrian crashes at low speeds compared with cars with 
>>> conventional engines. The study by the National Highway Traffic 
>>> Safety Administration examined circumstances in which the vehicles 
>>> were slowing down or coming to a stop, backing up or entering or 
>>> departing a parking space.
>>>
>>> More than 4,300 pedestrians were killed in 2008, according to the 
>>> most recent data available. The government has been researching the 
>>> safety risks that hybrids and electrics could pose for pedestrians, 
>>> particularly the blind, along with the elderly and children, for 
>>> vehicles traveling at 20 mph or less. When a car is going faster, 
>>> the friction between the tire and the road's surface makes the 
>>> vehicle louder.
>>>
>>> The quiet hybrid phenomenon already has its place in pop culture. In 
>>> an episode of NBC's "The Office," paper salesman Andy Bernard uses 
>>> his stealthy blue Toyota Prius to sneak up on Dwight Schrute and pin 
>>> his bitter rival against a hedge. One concerned co-worker, watching 
>>> the unfolding drama, says "the Prius is silent if he keeps it under 
>>> 5 miles per hour."
>>>
>>> Congress is heeding the warnings, adding sound performance 
>>> requirements for hybrids and electric cars to an auto safety bill 
>>> being considered after the massive Toyota recalls. Lawmakers could 
>>> consider the changes this summer and car companies most likely would 
>>> have to have the sounds ready to go three years after the release of 
>>> new government rules.
>>>
>>> Automakers helped develop the proposal in Congress and are moving 
>>> forward with new artificial sounds that will be emitted from 
>>> electric cars and future hybrid models.
>>>
>>> Nissan Motor Corp. has produced distinct sounds for the Leaf, the 
>>> electric car expected to go on sale this year, when the vehicle 
>>> accelerates or moves in reverse. When the Leaf speeds up to 20 mph, 
>>> it automatically will use a soft whirring sound that changes pitch 
>>> as the car accelerates. When the Leaf backs up, an intermittent bell 
>>> will ring to warn those nearby.
>>>
>>> The Japanese automaker consulted with acoustic psychologists and 
>>> Hollywood sound designers to find a tone that addresses drivers, 
>>> pedestrians and the community.
>>>
>>> "It was kind of like peeling back an onion. The more we worked on 
>>> it, the more issues came up, the more of a balancing act it became," 
>>> said Andy Christensen, a manager with Nissan's North American 
>>> Technical Center near Detroit. Nissan plans to use the sounds on the 
>>> Infiniti M35 hybrid to be released in 2012.
>>>
>>> General Motors Co. wanted a more subtle chirp on its Chevrolet Volt, 
>>> so it chose an alert horn that lets the driver warn an unknowing 
>>> bystander.
>>>
>>> "We didn't want to blast the horn at them and figuratively smack the 
>>> people in the nose," said Doug Moore, a vehicle performance engineer 
>>> for the Volt project. "We just wanted to tap them on the shoulder 
>>> and say, 'Hey I'm here.'"
>>>
>>> Other automakers are hard at work, too.
>>>
>>> Toyota Motor Corp., which makes the top-selling Prius hybrid, is 
>>> studying artificial sounds for hybrids when the vehicle is propelled 
>>> by its electric motor at low speeds. Ford Motor Co. is working to 
>>> bring external sounds to future hybrids and electrics, including its 
>>> Focus electric car, expected in 2011, and a next-generation hybrid 
>>> and plug-in hybrid vehicle planned for 2012.
>>>
>>> Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of global electrification, said car 
>>> companies should consider standardizing tones from future hybrids 
>>> and electrics to avoid a cacophony of confusion on the streets.
>>>
>>> "It can't be like cell phones where we all select our own sound and 
>>> we tune out everybody else's but our own," Gioia said.
>>>
>>> Some green car advocates have questioned the need for the extra 
>>> tones and noted that the requirement could add more noise to 
>>> neighborhoods. Paul Scott, vice president of Plug In America, said 
>>> the sounds could help under certain circumstances, but drivers 
>>> should have the right to activate the tones.
>>>
>>> "After hearing how innocuous the Nissan Leaf sound is, maybe it'll 
>>> be a minor irritant for us, but I suspect people will tire of it 
>>> eventually and seek ways to disable the noise," Scott said in an 
>>> e-mail from Japan, where he was test-driving the car.
>>>
>>> Les Blomberg, who is the founder of the Noise Pollution 
>>> Clearinghouse, said reducing noise from the loudest vehicles, such 
>>> as trucks, buses and motorcycles, would increase the ability of 
>>> pedestrians to detect sound.
>>> Adding sounds to hybrids, however, would simply enhance noise 
>>> pollution and make it more difficult to hear an individual vehicle 
>>> in traffic.
>>>
>>>
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