[Quietcars] immediate and delayed effects of legislation

Thu Feb 3 22:40:51 UTC 2011

Agreed on both points.  It makes sense that the manufacturers will wait to 
find out what NHTSA requires before they invest in a sound device.  And we 
do try to avoid using the word "noise."  Nobody wants noise, not even us; we 
do want a sound that provides information.

Debbie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ken Stewart" <cclvi at yahoo.com>
To: "Discussion of new quiet cars and pedestrian safety" 
<quietcars at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2011 1:53 PM
Subject: [Quietcars] immediate and delayed effects of legislation

I agree that it will be quite a while before we have federal regs, and in 
the meantime, I wonder if there will be an unintended negative side 
effect...  a manufacturer holding off making an improvement not risking 
creating a design which may ultimately be out of compliance with a 
not-yet-knowable requirement.  And, speaking of "negatives" for potential 
purchasers, is a design that is a "noise generator".  In my advocacy, I 
refer to an "audible aspect".  "Sound feature" also avoids the negative ring 
of "noise..".
--- On Sat, 1/29/11, Robert Wilson <bwilson4web at hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Robert Wilson <bwilson4web at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Chevrolet volt review: No mention of audible cues 
for pedestrians.
To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
Date: Saturday, January 29, 2011, 9:17 PM

Hi Michael,

> Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:44:40 -0500
> From: mrtownsend at optonline.net
> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Quietcars] Chevrolet volt review: No mention of audible cues for 
> pedestrians.
>
> In doing research on the Chevrolet Volt, the only thing I found for
> accessible cues to allert bystanders is that the driver can activate and
> deactivate a horn if someone's getting too close to this vehicle. . . .
Whatever is around today doesn't really matter. I would recommend reading 
the text of S.841 to understand what has been 
passed:http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111s841is/pdf/BILLS-111s841is.pdf
According to language of S.841, the NHTSA has 90 days to start a study. The 
study can take up to two years to complete before submission to Congress. 
Within 90 days of the submission, the NHTSA issues regulations usually with 
a 90 day comment period. Then within two years, the regulations come into 
effect. The language suggests the longest duration is four and a half to 
five years.
The shortest could be just under three years: start the study now; a quick 
study and release it to Congress; 90 days to issue regulations and; two 
years to have the mandated noise generators show up in new cars. We are 
already three weeks after S.841 was signed on January 4 and no announcement 
of the 'study'. It might help to look at another piece of legislated safety 
changes.
The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act was signed in February 
28, 2008. The final regulations will be approved in February 2011 with 
compliance mandatory in two years, 2013. This is roughly five years from law 
to implementation for regulations that address 200 documented deaths per 
year.
Bob Wilson

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