There is a favorable probability that HR 5734, the "Bell the Hybrid Act," is all but dead. There is no equivalent Senate bill and the current business has pretty well sucked out all of the oxygen. Sure there will be a lame duck session but I suspect it won't be terribly productive. Without claiming victory, I want to propose and discuss one last letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. I propose that a warning label be added to the driver sun visor, next to the air bag warning, that says:WARNING Pedestrians may not hear you in parking lots and streets. Be careful of pedestrians in parking lots. Our hybrid lore recognizes that we are quiet in parking lots. Most of us compensate by being especially attentive to pedestrians. But a new hybrid owner may not be aware of this and drive too casually around people. Posting this warning on the sun visor, next to the air bag warning, would more likely catch the eye of a new owner or driver than a similar note in the owner's handbook. It is a reasonable precaution when loaning your hybrid to someone else. This letter would give the NHTSA advocate(s) of HR 5734 some cover and a graceful way to retire. The warning note is not the silly, worthless noise makers but an opportunity for the advocates to gain some standing as not having been a total waste of time. It gives them a chance to then put this HR 5734 nonsense aside and focus on other, real safety issues. This proposed letter also lays a serious challenge before the extreme "Bell the Hybrid" advocates. If they oppose it, it directly challenges their claim that this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed urgently. But having gotten this warning note, the obvious answer is "Lets see how well it works." The warning proposed in this letter may reduce the possibility of a future EV fatality or injury. It is a common sense approach that matches the likely risk. It doesn't cost much; it is unobtrusive; and it might help. Best of all, it gives enough cover that "Bell the Hybrid" might quietly fade away. Comments? Bob Wilson
I could live with the label on the sunvisor as a "solution" to this. My 4wd Ford Explorer has a label on the sunvisor (paraphrased): "This is a multi purpose vehicle with increased ground clearance. It does not handle like a passenger car (duh). Abrupt maneuvers can cause loss of control and risk of rollover. See the supplemental off-road driving guide for more information." It came with a short booklet that tells you how to drive sensibly. Toyota could tell you to consult the owners manual and give a short warning about paying attention to where you are driving.
Well the price is low, and it may achieve what you hope. All street-legal EVs also ought to have them, of course. Make it a little bit bigger, and it can include warnings about backing over children, pets etc. That one can be pasted on the visors of all vehicles.
I dislike government telling what to do even on a sun screen. These decals also are permanently stuck and mess up the visor's looks. If I have a choice I would vote no!
I think it'd be a noble gesture to help those people "save face". I'm not sure if it'd be taken as so by them though. I sure wish they'd used their time to do something more productive and truly needed. Maybe that's the real lesson they need to draw from this. Personally, I don't care either way. I never read those labels.
The visor warnings are useless and unattractive. Eventually there will be a EUA on the MFD that you have to acknowledge before you can start the car. Sheesh. Sign Sign everywhere a sign Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign
