[stylist] Florida article on quiet cars & accidents withblindpeople

Tue Nov 25 21:22:47 UTC 2008

I had lunch with a friend today and she told me this.  Her neighbor has an 
older model of a Mercedes diesel.  She was shocked one day to see the 
neighbor driving past her house.  She never heard them pull out of the 
driveway!  Judith
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
To: "NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 2:45 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] Florida article on quiet cars & accidents 
withblindpeople


> Angela,
> Someone on another list pointed out that most of the accidents to which 
> the article refers were not quiet cars, and since the cars in question 
> were heading forward, back-up beeping wouldn't have helped.  They wondered 
> if the NFB person had been misquoted.  Maybe they said they wanted the 
> cars to make a sound and the reporter interpolated beeping when backing 
> up.
>
>
> I used to live in Philadelphia, but I'm in the country now, and we rarely 
> have a car.  My guide dog starts looking over his shoulder when they're 
> about a half mile away.  I can't imagine though the sounds of cities 
> nowadays!  With all of the other beeping and noise, how could any 
> additional sound  help?
> Donna
>
> -- 
> For my bio & to hear clips from The Last Straw:
> http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>
> Apple I-Tunes
>
> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374
>
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
> www.padnfb.org
>
>
>
>
>
> Angela fowler wrote:
>> Well, I don't know about beeping. We have enough beepers already messing 
>> up
>> sound patterns. Anything is better than nothing though. If the car in
>> question was actually made to sound like a car, that would be best.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Donna Hill
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 8:59 AM
>> To: stylist at nfbnet.org; Performing Arts Division list
>> Subject: [stylist] Florida article on quiet cars & accidents with
>> blindpeople
>>
>> Hi all,
>> This just appeared on the NFB of PA list, and I thought it might interest
>> you.  Also, since the article says that no one keeps statistics, I'm
>> wondering if anyone has had a close encounter with a car
>> -- quiet or otherwise.
>> Donna
>> ***
>> Channel 42 to air ad featuring blind people struck by vehicles By 
>> CHRISTINA
>> DeNARDO
>>
>>  Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
>>
>>  Sunday, November 23, 2008
>>
>>  BOYNTON BEACH - David Evans felt his walking stick being pulled out of 
>> his
>> hand. When he put out his hands, he felt the front bumper of a car.
>>
>>  "When I yelled and hit my fist on the trunk of her car, she finally
>> stopped," said Evans, who is blind.
>>
>>  It wasn't the first time he was hit by a car, and he's not alone. Though 
>> no one keeps statistics, advocates for the disabled say the blind are
>> frequently the victims of automobile accidents.
>>
>>  It's a plight that Vision World Foundation wants to bring to the 
>> attention
>> of drivers through a public service announcement featuring real accident
>> victims, including Evans.
>>
>>  The 30-second spot, which is being produced by WXEL-TV Channel 42, was 
>> shot
>> last week and will begin airing over the next few weeks.
>>
>>  "There is an attitude here that people believe that if you have a green
>> light it means go - even if there is someone in the crosswalk," said 
>> Barry
>> Snyder, a personal injury lawyer who has represented disabled clients hit 
>> by
>> drivers. "And if you are in the middle of the road, you're fair game."
>>
>>  Ren'ee Rentmeester, who created a television cooking show for blind 
>> people
>> produced by Vision World Foundation, said she didn't have to go far to 
>> find
>> blind people who have been hit by cars. Some, like Evans, have been hit
>> several times.
>>
>>  Until a few years ago, the Florida Outreach Center for the Blind held 
>> white
>> cane safety days at local intersections to publicize how the blind rely 
>> on
>> drivers when crossing intersections. One year, about 40 blind people were
>> taking part in the event when a truck blew through a red light. They 
>> stopped
>> the event for safety reasons.
>>
>>  "They don't stop and make sure anyone is coming," said Allen Preston, 
>> who
>> was also featured in the announcement.
>>
>>  Preston uses a guide dog, which he credits for minimizing his brushes 
>> with
>> aggressive drivers.
>>
>>  "If I'm at a busy intersection, people who wouldn't normally stop for a
>> pedestrian see the dog, and they slow down."
>>
>>  Besides aggressive drivers, advocates say that many accidents are caused 
>> by
>> people making right turns at stop signs or at stop lights. The drivers 
>> often
>> look to the left for traffic but neglect to check if anyone is crossing 
>> from
>> the right.
>>
>>  The popularity of hybrid cars may be good for the environment, but 
>> because
>> the cars are quiet, many blind people can't hear them and if drivers 
>> aren't
>> looking, accidents happen.
>>
>>  Some advocates like Evans, who serves as the president of the Palm Beach
>> Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, are pushing Congress to
>> force manufacturers to make quiet cars beep when they are backing up. In 
>> the
>> meantime, they say their safety is in the hands of drivers.
>>
>>  "We have to rely on drivers following the rules of the road," he said.
>>
>>  Find this article at:
>> http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/11
>>
>>  /23/a1b_psa_1124.html
>> __._,_.___
>>
>> --
>> For my bio & to hear clips from The Last Straw:
>> http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>>
>> Apple I-Tunes
>>
>> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374
>>
>> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
>> www.padnfb.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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