-Do Hybrid Vehicles Endanger Pedestrians-_2072

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Do Hybrid Vehicles Endanger Pedestrians?
Do Hybrid Vehicles Endanger Pedestrians?
By 
Bob Stogey

                                   
                                   
                                      Submitted
                                      2010-05-30 10:30:46                                   
                                 
                               
   
A hybrid car can be so quiet that a pedestrian may not know it's there.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that hybrid vehicles have a much higher rate of pedestrian-involved accidents than other vehicles. At the SAE World Congress, David Strickland, chief of NHTSA,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, remarked, "Our analysis of limited data from 12 states shows that hybrid electric vehicles do have a significantly higher incidence rate of pedestrian crashes than internal combustion engines for certain maneuvers -- like slowing or stopping,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, backing up, entering or leaving a parking space, and making a turn." Two automobile manufacturer organizations, AAM and AIAM,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, have teamed up with two organizations for the blind, ACB and NFB,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, to send a letter to Congress today stating their support for legislation that requires future hybrid vehicles to create artificial sounds when moving at low speeds. This proposal could become part of the Motor Safety Act of 2010, a bill now moving through Congress.Under this proposed law, the alert sounds cannot be customized as if they were cell phone ringtones. Instead, the sound options would be provided by the vehicle manufacturers and activate automatically at lower speeds. The sounds will most likely mimic the engine noises of louder vehicles. Vehicles will not require artificial sounds at higher speeds.If these proposals go into effect, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must begin writing legislation within 18 months and finalize the law within three years. The NHTSA would be responsible for setting the minimal noise level a vehicle would have to make at lower speeds.These safety regulations would benefit all pedestrians, not just the deaf and hard of hearing. Sighted pedestrians such as small children and bike riders were also targeted by this proposed law.Not everyone would be thrilled by such a law-one of the many benefits of a hybrid eleectric car is its quiet performance, and the addition of artificial sounds would be unappealing to some drivers. Drivers aren't the only ones who wouldn't be thrilled. The organization NoiseOFF writes on their website, "The NFB (National Federation for the Blind) is using money and political clout to increase noise pollution levels and adversely affect millions of people in the name of pedestrian safety" and that an alternative solution would be to give receiver devices to the blind that will alert them when a hybrid is near. The downside to this alternative is that it does nothing to protect sighted pedestrians and blind pedestrians must carry them around all the time.Still, this law will make roads far safer for pedestrians,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, and to many the benefits outweigh the consequences.