[stylist] Florida article on quiet cars & accidents with blindpeople

Tue Nov 25 22:30:38 UTC 2008

yes,
I noticed that too!  beeping on reverse wouldn't really fix the 
problem in most cases!
jc
Jim Canaday M.A.
Lawrence, KS

At 11:09 AM 11/25/2008, you 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
>
>__._,_.___
>
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>
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>
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