[Travelandtourism] Should Electric Cars Sound Like Traditional Cars, Or Something Else?

Wed Mar 27 10:04:24 UTC 2013

Good morning all:
The Quiet Cars aren't Quiet anymore. 
President Signs Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act
Below is the information on the NFB.org website back in 2011, the cars that are still quiet on the road are from the people who have the older cars, they were advised to have there cars installed with the new technology, but people don't always listen, but please read all the information below.
Cheryl Echevarria, PresidentNFB Travel & Tourism
read below. On Wednesday, January 5, The National Federation of the Blind commended President Barack Obama for signing into law the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act (S. 841), which will protect the blind and other pedestrians from injury as a result of silent vehicle technology. Because blind pedestrians cannot locate and evaluate traffic using their vision, they must listen to traffic to discern its speed, direction, and other attributes in order to travel safely and independently. New vehicles that employ hybrid or electric engine technology can be silent, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other. For more information on this exciting development, please read the official press release.
Press Release from Chris Danielsen back on Janaury 5, 2011
Release Date: Wednesday, January 5, 2011Category: NationalChris DanielsenDirector of Public RelationsNational Federation of the Blind(410) 659-9314, extension 2330(410) 262-1281 (Cell)cdanielsen at nfb.orgPresident Signs Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act
Washington, D.C. (January 5, 2011): The National Federation of the Blind today commended President Barack Obama for signing into law the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act (S. 841), which will protect the blind and other pedestrians from injury as a result of silent vehicle technology. 
“The National Federation of the Blind is pleased that this critical legislation has been signed into law, preserving the right to safe and independent travel for the blind,” said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind.  “The blind, like all pedestrians, must be able to travel to work, to school, to church, and to other places in our communities, and we must be able to hear vehicles in order to do so.  This law, which is the result of collaboration among blind Americans, automobile manufacturers, and legislators, will benefit all pedestrians for generations to come as new vehicle technologies become more prevalent.  We look forward to working with the Department of Transportation throughout the regulatory process.”
Because blind pedestrians cannot locate and evaluate traffic using their vision, they must listen to traffic to discern its speed, direction, and other attributes in order to travel safely and independently.  Other people, including pedestrians who are not blind, bicyclists, runners, and small children, also benefit from hearing the sound of vehicle engines.  New vehicles that employ hybrid or electric engine technology can be silent, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other.
###
About the National Federation of the Blind With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.

Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of NY State
Leading the Way in Independent Travel!SNG Certified - Accessible Travel Advocate!Cheryl Echevarria, Ownerhttp://www.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations@echevarriatravel.comhttp://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com2012 Norwegian Cruise Line University Advisory Board Member.
Affiliated as an independent contractor with Montrose TravelCST - #1018299-10Echevarria Travel and proud member of the National Federation of the Blind will be holding a year round fundraiser for the http://www.NFBNY.org after Hurricane Sandy and other resources. Any vacation package booked between November 6 2012-November 6, 2013 and vacation must be traveled no later than 12/30/2014 a percentage of my earnings will go to the affiliate.  Also is you book a Sandals for couples or Beaches for families and friends resorts vacation, $100.00 per booking will go to the affiliate as well.  You do not need to be a member of the NFB.org, just book through us.

> From: lady_sunflower at comcast.net
> To: travelandtourism at nfbnet.org
> Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:18:16 -0700
> Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] Should Electric Cars Sound Like Traditional	Cars, Or Something Else?
> 
> If it weren't for the partial sight I have, I wouldn't know when there is a
> quiet car in front of me. I don't know what sound a quiet car should have,
> but a sound of some sort will prevent pedestrian casualties.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Travelandtourism [mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Hai Nguyen Ly
> Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 12:23 PM
> To: NFB Travel and Tourism Division List
> Subject: [Travelandtourism] Should Electric Cars Sound Like Traditional
> Cars, Or Something Else?
> 
> 
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/25/electric-car-sound-quiet_n_2950001.
> html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003
> 
> Should Electric Cars Sound Like Traditional Cars, Or Something Else?
> 
> Electric cars are quiet. Too quiet. One of the biggest virtues of the
> battery vehicle is that it is virtually silent in operation. And heaven
> knows, in today's marketplace, the EV needs every advantage it can get. But
> a quiet car can be a deadly car for the blind or disabled, and that's led to
> federal government rulemaking that will require EVs to produce some kind of
> sound until they reach 17 mph. Exactly what those sounds will be is now
> being hotly debated.
> 
> I talked to Wade Newton of the Auto Alliance, which represents 12 carmakers
> and filed public comments last week looking to postpone the federal rule,
> and highly critical of the form it takes now. The alliance is walking a fine
> line - it supports the federal rule in principle, but doesn't want consumers
> to be turned off by noisy, annoying EVs. It's also worried about cost.
> 
> "Let the engineers figure out the best way to make it work," Newton said.
> "We want a car to sound like a car, and we want some level of
> differentiation within a basic framework - so a sedan might sound slightly
> different than a coupe, for example. And if the sound is audible to the
> motorist, we want it to be relatively pleasing to them. But no one wants a
> wild west of different ringtones."
> 
> Ah, ringtones. When I talk to people about this, they invariably get
> captivated by the idea of having the car produce its own personalized
> ringtone - a "signature" sound, so to speak. But think about it a bit: an
> unfamiliar ringtone conveys no recognizable message to a blind person, who's
> going to hear what could be a passing car radio. The alliance calls the
> ringtone thing "a Pandora's box," and that's about it. 
> 
> Newton also points out another big problem. "Any sound the car produces will
> be heard very differently in Times Square and a rural road in upstate New
> York," he said. So do you optimize the sound for loud environments or quiet
> ones?
> 
> The automakers also want the sound to cut off at 12.4 mph, not 18.6, because
> they say above that speed tire noise makes the car audible anyway. The
> federal rule is supposed to begin phasing in September of 2014, but the
> carmakers want to forget phasing it in and delay implementation to 2018.
> 
> The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates the
> cost at $30 to $35 per car, but the alliance says it's way higher. The
> safety agency says it's a vital matter of, well, safety. "NHTSA estimates
> that if this proposal were implemented, there would be 2,800 fewer
> pedestrian and pedalcyclist injuries over the life of each model year of
> hybrid cars, trucks and vans and low-speed vehicles, as compared to vehicles
> without sound," the agency said.
> 
> The National Federation of the Blind is highly supportive of the legislation
> and was instrumental in shaping it. "Quiet vehicles are highly problematic
> for blind pedestrians, who depend on the sound emitted by cars in order to
> travel safely and independently. "We feel strongly that the industry must
> take measures to insure the safety of blind and sighted pedestrians," NFB
> says. "We believe that vehicles can be designed to emit an inoffensive sound
> that will give pedestrians the information they need."
> 
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