California "Bell the Hybrid" nonsense

Preus, you make a very good point. Not only cell phones, but ipods/mp3 players as well.

I nearly hit a guy last week when I was leaving work. I was turning left at a light and he was jogging (with ear buds in) the opposite direction down the street I was turning on. Instead of going to the crosswalk, he cut the corner, running into the street in front of me. First time I really tried the brakes on my car and I damn near peed my pants! He looked at me in horror as though it were my responsibility to look out for him. Not blind, not deaf, just zoned out.:der:

I just don't know anything about anything anymore.

 

How about all hybrid owners be armed with paint ball guns so we can get the attention of all pedestrians, including those on cell phones and ipods.

 

There's a simple solution.

Just trigger the alarm system and let it run 24 hours a day.
That will ensure that no blind people get run over by a Prius.

And it will have the added benefit of Prius' being banned from everywhere, making blind people even MORE safe.

Simple.

 

My wife has given a short 'toot' on the horn when skate boarders are aimlessly rollin' about in front of her . . . just so they wouldn't doodie their shorts when they realize a hybrid SUV is right behind them.

Are they thankfull? Right. Typically they'll flip the bird to show their appriciation.

 

Only if we can upload the footage to YouTube.op2:

 

That reminds me, in my younger days, when I liked to heavily modify my car - I had the alarm beeper connected to a button on my dash. That way I could give a friendly tweet to let people know I was there. It sounded much less obnoxious than a horn.

That could come in handy in a situation like yours. I often find myself in stealth mode going through my parking structure at work behind pedestrians walking in the middle of the "road" not noiticing me. I don't beep, because the accoustics would scare the hell out of them.

 

Last stats anyone posted here on PC showed there was no discernable difference between blind or sighted people that were injured or killed by ignorantly walking into the path of a hybrid while it was in stealth. Until the stats change, can't we either just give me a rope so I can hang myself out of exasperation, or post facts that have some semblence to relevance?

 

I don't know why I find this so exceedingly funny, that is watching good intentions spiral out of control. I'll bet these same people brush their teeth too hard and ruin their gums.

 

well ... all i can say is this:

IF such a study ever results in a "passed law" ... i just hope the "hybrid bell" is loud enough for SIGHTED pedestrians who MIGHT be looking the other way but ALSO might be deaf ........

( so much for California's noise pollution concerns .... )

 

Oh, this is rich!!!!! ound:

Guess who was in Who Killed The Electric Car?????

Yep. None other than the doofus who authored this bill.

California State Senator Allen Lowenthall, Democrat.

Who killed the electric car?

You're doing a good job at it buddy! :tsk:

". . . and there is a public health crisis, so we have to have incentives and we have to have alternatives."

http://dist27.casen.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={E301DBA2-2A7B-4580-85BF-74D45E63803B}&DE={652E031D-E4A5-4BF4-B1CC-9DCF9F866EBB}

And then what . . . remove the incentive with a 'cow bell'? :frusty:

Out of 120 California Congress Critters from both houses, only three Republicans voted FOR this bill and only one Democrat voted AGAINST the bill.
Yep, just about straight Democratic party line crap of a bill.
SB 1174 Senate Bill - Vote Information

 

According to the actual bill, this legislation states that our vehicles have already been determined to be a danger to the visually-impaired. It states that every hybrid vehicle is quieter than any ICE only vehicle.

The only thing to be studied is how to make sure that our vehicles (past, present, future) sufficiently noisy that the visually-impaired can hear and "localize" our vehicles. It is not to determine whether to "bell the hybrid".

It also states that this bill is just to assist the California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (CEC) in its already-underway study as to how to make our vehicles noisier.

 

Why not ban all asphalt and concrete-colored cars (dark grey and silver) for those who can see but are deaf?

 

Anyone starting to feel that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has mutated beyond all reason? Maybe it's time to pull some of its teeth.

Tom

 

Senator Allen Lowenthall is a moron who doesn't listen. The D.O.T. stats show no discernable risk. I've emailed the idiot, and only get canned replies. In kind, 4th grade level, tiny single syllabled, simple words, I explained that we know what he's up to. Namely, he's pasifying the disabled. I explained that there are more and more silent cars than idiots that step in front of a quiet car. I explained that you can't protect idiots from their self ... whether they have sight, or no sight, whether they have hearing or no hearing, or have both or neither.

I also sent Senator Lowenthall the following video to help him (in his simple mind) understand that stupid people walk into traffic ...

NO MATTER HOW LOUD THE VEHICLE IS THAT APPROACHES.

I fear these law makers are beyond hope.

 

You aren't the only one. I keep thinking, this is so crazy, it will never get anywhere. Then I think about how the politicians will view this and think, oh crap, they are going to put noise makers on all the hybrids. None of the professional politicians will want to have their opponents run the "he hates blind people" ads in the next election cycle.

How loud will they need to make the cars to make sure the blind people will always be able to hear them? Will there be a standard minimum noise level? Will they retrofit the cars already on the road or grandfather them in? Will it apply to all cars, not just hybrids and electrics? How about motorcycles and scooters?

 

I thought about this more today while walking on a Monterey Bay beach . . .

If my Prius is going to be 'belled' . . . I want to pick the sounds, and to be able to switch between them according to my moods.

Selection one: Dog panting. I knew someone was approaching from my blind spot behind me because I could hear her dog panting . . . even above the background noise of the surf. It was not an obnoxious noise.

Selection two: Horse hooves on asphalt. I knew there was someone behind me on the hiking trail when I heard their horse's hooves hit the roadway which cut through the trail . . . even though I was probably a quarter mile ahead. Old fashioned transportation noise . . . how appropriate.

* the next selections are in order of when I am not feeling so kindly about the pedestrian who inadvertently made themselves a target of my slow moving Prius . . .

Selection three: Fingernails scratching across a chalkboard.

Selection four: The sound of car tires screeching to a stop with people yelling "LOOKOUT!"

Selection five: The sound of and engine racing, tires screeching, and people yelling "LOOKOUT!"

Selection six: [this would require a very high powered external speaker system complete with a subwoofer . . . for when I am feeling completely anti-social :blink: ] . . . The sound of a modified Harley at full throttle!
If people don't see the Prius approaching, they can now hear and/or feel its presence from blocks away . . . even if asleep in bed.

 

Quote erot demonstrata, leave it to my better-half to distill the solution to the problem, that our super fuel efficient Toyota hybrids, idling unacceptably quiet at intersections don't sound enough like this:

YouTube - Cows Mooing

Our cars, sounding indicative of bovines indifferently grazing at each intersection should somewhat enhance nonthreatening nature of our persona. However, I realize, perhaps there are those amongst us whom might otherwise prefer our Prius to idle at intersections more indicative of the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vl1QH4ebgw&NR=1

To which one might astutely reply, where in the flock are you?

YouTube - Sheep! Baaa!

No accounting for taste and preference, Toyota should be petitioned several livestock alternatives. Properly engineering a livestock soundtrack algorithm to the Prius which automatically engages at 80 decibles at speeds below 5 miles per hour, a study should be commissioned to delve into the hypothesis, which farm animals might constitute the most pleasing, least threatening alternative.

Mean awful terrible people... we have this coming to us. As owners of these unacceptably quiet, far too efficient vehicles, we would be arrogant and remiss, our abject failure to extend our humblemost apologies to society for our many shortcomings, and our egregious transgressions, buying these vehicles but for no good reason than to sneak up upon unsuspecting people at intersections.


Cheers,
~ Sammy, '04 Prius

 

OMG, I'm still laughing!

Tom