Plan would make hybrids noisy to protect blind
Bill to be introduced in Congress; no record yet of cars injuring sightless

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24019034/

Plan would make hybrids noisy to protect blind
Bill to be introduced in Congress; no record yet of cars injuring sightless

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24019034/

I know this has been discussed here quite a bit and it is starting to get to the point where it feels like beating a dead horse but I still think this is the stupidest thing ever and I can't actually believe this is a problem. Albeit, blind folks rely on a sense of hearing to help get around I think that if a driver is not paying attention it won't matter if the car is making noise or not people will get injured.

I think that it is more important to get into the right frame of mind and become aware of the surroundings and what you are actually doing as a motorist as opposed to having the car let everyone know that you are coming down the street.

Let's see... Make it noisy huh?

What if they put a large speaker behind the grill and play the sound of an unmuffled Harley-Davidson through it. That should do it. :p

I honestly didn't think anyone was serious about this, I thought it was some type of joke, but now politics are involved and it will end up on cars, so much for noise pollution.

I know this has been discussed here quite a bit and it is starting to get to the point where it feels like beating a dead horse but I still think this is the stupidest thing ever and I can't actually believe this is a problem. Albeit, blind folks rely on a sense of hearing to help get around I think that if a driver is not paying attention it won't matter if the car is making noise or not people will get injured.

I think that it is more important to get into the right frame of mind and become aware of the surroundings and what you are actually doing as a motorist as opposed to having the car let everyone know that you are coming down the street.

I heard this on the news too. I think its status quo propaganda meant to discourage new technology. Whether I'm paranoid or not, in nost matter any publicity is good publicity because in this case it gets people thing and talking about new automotive technology.

BTW: I hate the idea of making green cars noisy but if they're really serious I think outfitting the visually impared with some sort of homing device they carry in their wallets, purse or pocket or a cellphone setting they can turn on that warms drivers that they're getting near someone who can't see them is the best solution.

I think the problem is that 1) electric propulsion will be new and different for most people and 2) the relative noise level from electric propulsion is much lower than for ICE.

If all vehicles ran electrically then the overall street noise level is reduced and pedestrians could hear an EV. But becuase the EV is masked by a fleet of noisy ICE vehicles, it presents a problem.

I don't like the idea of artifically making an EV noisy. I want quieter streets. If we put our minds to it we could probably come up with a method to alert pedestrians wihtout replicating the same amount of nose polution we have with ICE.

Maybe the chirping bird sound similar to what is used on crosswalks for the blind. Or maybe you can play an MP3 of your favorite animal. It certainly would change the soundscape of your typical urban street.

Above a certain speed you probably don't have to provide warning sounds. Perhaps 40MPH is the limit. At that speed pedestrian and automobiles tend not to mix all that much. Also the wind and tire noice that a vehicle makes is more prominent than the noice of the engine.

With so many newer cars these days that hardly make any noise at all, should they too have to make some sort of noise? This is rediculous. Isn't that what your horn is for?:rolleyes:

I'm looking 50 years in the future when all cars are running with simulated noise. Absurd. It's like raising a child in a bed that always has safety bars around it. When they finally go off to college and have to sleep in the top bunk what do you think will happen? Yes, they will fall. Don't you think it's a better idea to train people from the start so when they go to other countries on vacation (countries that are not stupid enough to legislate noise making EVs) they will be trained enough to look before going into the street?

Aircraft have solved this problem with transponders. When they get too close, a collision avoidance alarm goes off to alert the pilot of the other aircraft’s presence.

As I understand it, low speed travel where the majority of the concern lies (in a parking lot for example). So if this is really going to be an issue, why not require a small transponder in the EV. Anyone who is concerned with being hit by an EV can also carry a transponder. When the two transponders get within 150 feet of each other, the EV could emit a noise to alert pedestrians of its presence. Likewise, the driver of the EV would be alerted to concerned pedestrians. The system could deactivate over 25 MPH, when tire noise will be pronounced enough to alert pedestrians of the vehicles approach.

http://www.startlabspa.it/mvideoo.html

“…. the car comes equipped with the clip-clop sound of horse hooves hitting the pavement to alert pedestrians and other drivers.” – PC Magazine, January 27, 2007

Noise is a non-issue. San Francisco has tons of electric busses and trolleys that have silently patrolled busy city streets for decades. Somehow, noise has never been raised as an issue. As a cyclist, I can vouch that many new cars now are so quiet I can't hear them as they approach from behind. I just use a rear-view-mirror on my sun glasses. Quiet electric cars, busses, and trucks, minus diesel and gasoline fumes, will be such a hit on city streets that complaints of "too quiet" will probably fall on "deaf ears".

Noise is a non-issue. San Francisco has tons of electric busses and trolleys that have silently patrolled busy city streets for decades. Somehow, noise has never been raised as an issue. As a cyclist, I can vouch that many new cars now are so quiet I can't hear them as they approach from behind. I just use a rear-view-mirror on my sun glasses. Quiet electric cars, busses, and trucks, minus diesel and gasoline fumes, will be such a hit on city streets that complaints of "too quiet" will probably fall on "deaf ears".

Amen Brother. Can we all put this silly issue to rest?

I can't say that I disagree with you...but leave it to Congress to make an issue out of a non-issue.

I'd unplug it if my car had one.