Lotus - lets have some fun

I've said this before on this issue, and I'll say it again.
It is the driver's responsibility to look where he/she is going. Regardless of the vehicle type, if a driver runs over a pedestrian, it is the driver's fault for not looking where they were going. There have been many times in grocery store parking lots that I have walked by gas-powered cars (ICE) where I could not hear any engine sound at all. And guess what? I'm still here to type this because the drivers of those vehicles were looking where they were going and did not run me over. According to the law, it is ultimately the driver's responsibility to prevent the incident (by not running over people).
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...maybe we should require blind people to wear noise makers and strobe lights
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It's not just the drivers responsibility, The pedestrians can't just walk into the middle of the street and expect traffic to stop for them. If you get hit by a car, it's not the make of the cars fault. It's either yours or the drivers, or both.

 

Obviously you've never been to NYC ... where it's ALWAYS the ped's fault

 

Wow! Finally my suspicions are confirmed! I've always wondered about the pedestrian laws in NYC after witnessing many automobile-pedestrian altercations on TV shows and movies. So there really are laws about jaywalking? And I thought that was just a funny-sounding slang term that was never enforced.

 

If this is all the House of Representatives has to work on then as far as I am concerned they can all go home for recess permenantly. With the price of gas what it is and our illustrious President riding rough shod over the Constitution, while they worry about how much noise or no noise a Prius makes is absurd.

 

-Has any organizations that represent the blind population made an official statement on the (potential) issue or the proposed requirement?

-What if the majority of motorized vehicles were silent...Would a noise maker be the solution to such a potetial danger?

 

Hi Jeffreykb,

The fact that most cars make engine noise generally audible from the rear, and consequently as the car is moving away from a blind pedestrian is a hazard for the blind pedestrian - right now!

Stand on the side of a 25 to 40 mph road, and listen to the cars go by. As they approach you will hear tire noise. Once they are within 10 feet or so (far to close to stop) you will begin to hear the engine noise. And after they pass, you will hear the exhaust noise. That exhaust noise can cover up noise from other approaching vehicles.

 

This whole noise thing is stupid. I know it's politically incorrect to say this (buying a Prius is the ONLY politically correct thing I have done that I know of) but we provide means for handicapped folks to cope with the majority of the world: crosswalks which I pay for with my taxes, seeing eye dogs, etc. I mean, are they going to start putting toots and whistles on bicycles and skateboards too? I am always careful while driving to look out for stupid people ... most of whom can see, hear, etc.
Also I decided that if this noise thing gets to be a big issue, I'm going to put a big white fin on my white Prius and somehow rig it so the Theme from "Jaws" comes on anytime it goes into stealth mode. Seems appropriate music for the "silent killer".

 

I think most of you are taking this issue not serious enough.

I live in switzerland, in a small little quiet village with very little traffic. I hardly ever have to wait to let a car go by as a pedestrian, so I just listen to see if there is anyone coming. And I am a bit scared there could be a prius coming I dont hear. I am not blind.
I mean basically on low traffic streets with more pedestrians than cars it is a valid issue, not only for the blind. And I heard from a prius owner that returned it just because of having too much dangerous situations where pedestrians could not hear it.
And that thing is designed so that the sound is outside, not inside.

Even if you are a good enough driver to prevent all accidents with unsuspecting pedestrians, it will always be a stressful situation.

 

So the Prius and some of the other hybrids are quiet. Get used to it, there are going to be a lot more one of these days. There is a particular shopping center here in Tulsa (The Farm Shopping Center), those of you familiar with this area probably know where it is. Driving through its narrow lanes with many cars backing out and elderly people (of which I am one) crossing on their way to the lunch special at the cafeteria is like running the gauntlet.

I am always going slow when driving in that center so I am almost always on electric power and moving silently. The key to safety for every one is to be courteous, vigilant and watch for those back-up lights.

If that stupid law passes, we could make a recording of a Dodge pickup with 6 cylinder Cummins diesel engine idling and play that through a speaker at the front of the car. That'll wake em up.

 

I agree with stivo. It's not a big deal, just put a little hum-generator on the front so people outside can hear it. It's less obtrusive than other safety equipment like flashers or blinkers or brake lights or a horn.

It would be less annoying to me as a Prius driver to have people wait for me to go by, than for me to have to suddenly stop because somebody walked in front of me, regardless of who has the right of way.

People do rely on the sounds around them to navigate the streets, not just the blind. Obviously you should look both ways before going out on the street, but people are used to hearing traffic coming up.
This is probably a most of an issue at speeds of 10-30 mph. Above that, the tire and wind noise is prevalent (and less likely to be in stealth) and pedestrians are generally more cautious on high-speed streets, speeds lower than that and there's plenty of reaction time.

And yes, drivers in some cities are definitely more pedestrian friendly than others. Tourist towns in particular apparently enforce (or at least remind drivers) that pedestrians in a cross walk have the right of way, but that won't happen in the big cities. But in either case, a driver is not solely at fault if a kid runs out into the street from between parked cars.

 

What's next are they going to make all the shopping carts have noise makers? This could get huge, then they will need to go after golf carts. The list can go on and on.:fear:

 

I lost my post that ive written, so here is a bit a shorter version:

First: I did not mean to attack you. I just felt (and not only from this thread) that posters were dismissing this too easily.

Backing up:
I fail to see the link. This is something different. But making no sound backing up still seems more dangerous than making sounds. And by your definition I am blind.

In our country, one of the first lessons taught in school, kindergarten, is how to cross streets. We teach our children to stop at the curb and look both ways. We do this because we love our children and want them to be safe as they grow up. Of course, Switzerland may be different. <-- This is insulting. I may have been a bit lazy but I did not try to insult. Of course we do the same thing. But people (in general) are lazy and they learn by repetition: you look 1000 times, only one time comes something you do it less afterwards. I am talking about low traffic/low speed streets. The whole time I have been working on this post I have not seen a car moving.


About the person which returned the prius: I dont know her personally, but I got the story from my dad which knows her well. Chances of her contacting you are slim.

What about wildlife? A deer does not look both sides before it crosses the street.

I think it is a valid issue (not only because of the blind) and will become more valid when more vehicles are quiet. Making artificial sounds would be an easy solution.

Tagging everybody else seems to be a bit expensive. Could you please elaborate more on this idea.

I am not saying every hybrid should have such a system tomorrow. I am in no way affiliated with lotus.

 

Ahem...it's the other way around.

 

I agree...but I would like to know if any organizations that represent the blind have made am official statement on the issue. If not, is it a "real" issue? I'm sure...the blind are quite capable of speaking for themselves.

My other point...if all motorized vehicles made no significant noise while in motion, would a noise maker want to be added? Noise pollution is a problem also.

 

Yeah that with the number of accidents is a good argument. I still think maybe it will not happen in america, but it could happen somewhere else.

But I still dont see the link to the backing over accidents. Just because the noise does not stop them to happen does not mean that taking all the noise away makes it any better.

Not only hybrids but most cars already have the receivers tied to the horn and lights and only need the software to respond to these special keyfobs. <-- I did not know that, never heard of it. Can I have a source for that? Some link with more info on this?
Even if you do that: You drive around a city with some pre-school children, some wheelchairs and your horn goes on all the time?
Also this pops into my head: If you have a device that tells you when you could endanger someone, you feel more safe during driving even though you are not. So in the end you pay less attention because you know if something is up the car will tell you.

But what is your big problem with adding a noisemaker to hybrids? The price of the device? The noise pollution? They dont have to be as loud as normal cars, but just audible.