Well I almost ran over a kid today....yeah, that happened.

You can disconnect it. It's not difficult at all.

 

Actually I want to amplify the sound and change to something more noticeable and with more of a warning than the asthmatic wheezing.

 

LMAO Rev my engine, For us CARGUYs we will all need therapy after commuting in a Prius for years. Give he just 5 minutes with a new Hellcat 7.0 Hemi ............... Rev my engine, that's like Lucy pulling the football away from good old Charlie Brown,

 

Airhorne. -30-80$ and the look on their face when they jump and become airborne is priceless!

 

You might burn through more gas in 5 minutes with a Hellcat than in 5 years with a Prius

 

"Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way?
Oh what's the matter with kids today?"

To be fair, consider that some folks may be from left-hand drive countries and automatically look the wrong direction when crossing. I just transitioned TO a left-hand drive country and am currently experiencing that problem in reverse, no doubt aggravating some of the local drivers.

Lack of situational awareness is, however, a serious and profound problem in aviation and automotive safety. I do not use the infotainment system on our Prius at all whilst driving--to me it is worthless. Pedestrians have MP3 players, cell phones, and other distractions, which could account for some of the observed behavior.

 

I honestly don't think that's the problem as I'm perceiving it.
Although having spent a vacation in London once, I do understand the reality of adjusting to right hand/left hand driving environments. It really can be dangerous if you're not use to it. At least when I traveled to London they kept arrows painted on the corners and sidewalks reminding the "stupid" tourists from North America to look the other way. I'm guessing that saves a lot of lives every year.

 

Is this turned on by default? I had no idea, but it does help explain some weird looks I've gotten from pedestrians in parking lots and on the street.

 

it's always on when you're moving under 15 mph. if you roll down your window in a quiet area next to a wall or in a garage, you can hear it if the engine is off.

 

I think you are remembering 'the good old days' with a rose colored filter. As best I can tell, this has always been a problem, even without little handheld mobile screens.

 

Rose colored glasses?
You young scalliwag!
In the old days we have drum brakes, single master cylinders, bias-ply high rolling resistance tires, and roll-over-and-die suspensions, and none of that nanby-pamby seat belt, air bag, stuff.

Heh, seriously I would argue that texting is as impairing as drunk driving, but the proportion of drivers now texting far exceeds the proportion of drunk drivers in the old days. Furthermore, I could kind of predict more drunk drivers on Friday and Saturday nights, but the texters are driving at any time of day, which makes them harder to avoid.