[stylist] Florida article on quiet cars & accidentswith blindpeople

Tue Nov 25 21:43:37 UTC 2008

Well, at a busy intersection with big trucks growling in our ears, it
probably won't do a darn bit of good, but on quiet residential streets with
no noise interference where pedestrians might be more complacent, a
high-bred car which doesn't make noise could prove very dangerous. I just
think it should sound like what it actually is, whether it is backing up or
going forward.  

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Donna Hill
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 11:46 AM
To: NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] Florida article on quiet cars & accidentswith
blindpeople

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:
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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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