Blind advocates lobby for noisier hybrid cars

[regfootball]

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9874568-1...tag=recentPosts

ANNAPOLIS, Md.--Hybrid cars may be on every environmentalist-cum-trend setter's hot list, but their surging popularity is raising alarms among the blind and their advocates, who fear the near-silent vehicles could endanger lives.

In recent months, the National Federation of the Blind has launched what is becoming an international lobbying campaign for legislation that encourages--or flat-out requires--automakers to install noisemaking technology to address those potential perils.

Top NFB leaders focused their efforts Tuesday on this quaint state capital on the Chesapeake Bay, where legislation creating a state "Quiet Vehicles and Pedestrian Safety Task Force" is pending. If Maryland passes the bill, it would be the first in the nation to take action on that front, although other states are considering similar proposals.

"As we increase the number of quiet vehicles on our streets, we increase the risk that blind and other pedestrians face," Jim McCarthy, the National Federation of the Blind's director of government affairs, told members of the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee at a hearing about the bill. "We potentially lose our independence if these become ubiquitous."

Ideally, blind advocates would like to see states pass laws that would set minimum sound standards for hybrid and electric vehicles, but they've run into resistance from automakers on that front. McCarthy said his group views the Democratic-sponsored Maryland bill as a good "first step," although he noted that legislatures in Virginia and Hawaii are poised to consider bills that would go further.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

This is actually a very good point.

[Drew Dowdell]

I see a whole aftermarket popping up for this!

You can download "drivetones" for your car. Want your car to sound like an Enzo? download it How about a Model T? download it.

Personally, I'll have the subtle "thump thump" of a Galaxy class starship warp core for my car. Extra bonus if it makes the "go to warp sound" when you really mash the pedal.

[Nick]

I see a whole aftermarket popping up for this!

You can download "drivetones" for your car. Want your car to sound like an Enzo? download it How about a Model T? download it.

Personally, I'll have the subtle "thump thump" of a Galaxy class starship warp core for my car. Extra bonus if it makes the "go to warp sound" when you really mash the pedal.

Too late...

http://www.vroombox.com/vroombox/

Either way, it is stupid...When considering the Doppler effect and how sound travels you won't really hear an oncoming car until it drives past you...or hits you...Same can be said about bikers who have the "loud pipes save lives" mentality.

[Robert Hall]

I see a whole aftermarket popping up for this!

You can download "drivetones" for your car. Want your car to sound like an Enzo? download it How about a Model T? download it.

Personally, I'll have the subtle "thump thump" of a Galaxy class starship warp core for my car. Extra bonus if it makes the "go to warp sound" when you really mash the pedal.

Make a Prius sound like a Dodge Ram diesel accelerating...

[Z-06]

Make a Prius sound like a Dodge Ram diesel accelerating...

Or an F-16 taking off.

[SuperSport623]

well if its prius drivers.... the sound of it accelertating should be "IMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM A PUSSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

insteead of VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

[siegen]

(Spoken in the voice of "Bruce the Performance Artist" from family guy): "Heeeey, I'm a hybrid car. I'm comin' through. Better watch out now I might run ya over."

Edited February 20, 2008 by siegen

[aaaantoine]

I'd want my car to sound like a Jetsons flying car.

[siegen]

[FAPTurbo]

(Spoken in the voice of "Bruce the Performance Artist" from family guy): "Heeeey, I'm a hybrid car. I'm comin' through. Better watch out now I might run ya over."

[SuperSport623]

(Spoken in the voice of "Bruce the Performance Artist" from family guy): "Heeeey, I'm a hybrid car. I'm comin' through. Better watch out now I might run ya over."

omg that would be perfect!

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Too late...

http://www.vroombox.com/vroombox/

Either way, it is stupid...When considering the Doppler effect and how sound travels you won't really hear an oncoming car until it drives past you...or hits you...Same can be said about bikers who have the "loud pipes save lives" mentality.

So your saying that you can't hear a Harley coming at you when you're walking up a street?

well if its prius drivers.... the sound of it accelertating should be "IMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM A PUSSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

:rotflmao:

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Careful there friend... All those people on the board here who make it a habit to be nonjudgmental might judge you... You know, like when they judge someone who is different from them and bitch at that person for supposedly being judgmental in the first place.

P.S. Thanks for the link to the new flag in my signature!

Edited February 21, 2008 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[SuperSport623]

im not even from the south and for some reason i feel drawn to the stars and bars... .. i dont understand why there has to be such a stigma attached to the flag...

[Croc]

im not even from the south and for some reason i feel drawn to the stars and bars... .. i dont understand why there has to be such a stigma attached to the flag...

Because it was used/flown by members of the KKK and other people who fervently tried to halt the progress of civil rights?

Edited February 21, 2008 by Croc

[Nick]

So your saying that you can't hear a Harley coming at you when you're walking up a street?

Depends on many factors dealing with the surroundings, how fast the vehicle is moving, the direction it is moving respective to you, how loud it is...you may not hear it until it is too late if it is traveling at a high speed straight at you. In fact, that would be the worst vantage point in terms of hearing something.

In terms of hybrids being too quiet, still seems like a load of bs to me. There's a prius that drives up my street every day and it is no quieter than any other car that I hear driving around the neighborhood. Sounds like a normal car. In fact, I'd say most of the noise I hear from cars around the neighborhood is associated with road/tire noise. Unless there is some tuned exhaust on the car, road/tire noise seems to be more prominent and overwhelming over any engine noise. Only time you really hear an engine in a neighborhood is if someone needs to give it more gas to get up a hill or something like that. The most noticeable car on my street is actually my sister's G35c and its notorious exhaust note.

[Croc]

The hybrids are crazy quiet in parking lots, though. During idle/low speed conditions, there's no tire noise. I've almost walked out in front of one of my brothers' Prius before because I couldn't hear him coming out of the driveway (there's a tall hedge blocking the view from the sidewalk).

[enzl]

Careful there friend... All those people on the board here who make it a habit to be nonjudgmental might judge you... You know, like when they judge someone who is different from them and bitch at that person for supposedly being judgmental in the first place.

P.S. Thanks for the link to the new flag in my signature!

I debated with even acknowledging you, but I can't resist....

Your repeated attempted to goad me into a flame war has now reached its limit. You're right, in one regard: You can (& obviously will) post whatever you'd like to.

My issue is not with your 'right' to do anything, merely your wisdom in doing so. My opinion is irrelevant to this argument we're engaging in rather, it's your callous disregard for what your actions actually say about you.

For someone who is so concerned about the American Auto industry, its people and the jobs they go to everyday, it seems somewhat disingenuous to selfishly cling to a symbol that casts many fans and similar minded people in a negative light.

I fully understand that you neither understand nor accept that point of view--but many casual onlookers, new posters or even GM's 'enemies' peruse this board just to see what's up with the world of GM. To risk taking all of the positives on this site and flushing them because YOU feel that you are right is not the situation you'd want to create.

As I stated above, this is my last scree on this issue. My position has more to do with liking this site than hating what you stand for...I suspect you're incapable of taking the same mature outlook, but I offer the opportunity to consider the quiet majority here who might benefilt from a more considerate position on your part.

[RichW5]

As a member of the Ralph Nader fan club (tongue in cheek), I demand that all Priuses come equipped with pedestrian avoidence radar. Said radar, must initiate a safety broadcast, when approaching a pedestrian or unleashed house companion.

Said broadcast is to include a "Hybrid vehicle approaching, please do not step off the curb" message over the Priuses fender mounted, and recessed for safety, loud speakers. This is to be followed by a one minute global warming message from ALGORE.

Sorry, no plan is without defects and we realize that ALGORE cannot be held to only a one minute message.

[IfICouldWouldYou?]

.........back on topic. This reminds me of a case about 25 years ago where a 14 year old kid was crossing a bunch of train tracks while wearing his Walkman (new technology at the time and has lots of detractors then). A train hit and killed him. There was a hue and cry to ban Walkmans while (get ready for this) walking.

I thought that one of the major goals in automotive technologies was to make a car quieter, no? All this social pandering is getting tedious, like firetrucks roaring up and down the street at 4 a.m. with their sirens wailing - why is that? Oh, because some union safety study indicated they HAD to have their sirens on full blast. At noon, that makes sense - at 4 a.m., not so much. [Oh, sorry, one of my pet peeves.]

I have a major philosophy in life: $h! happens. Sometimes, as a society, we cannot and should not, cater to every single self-interest group. It sucks to be blind, no doubt, but we are getting slammed from self-interest groups on every front. There are safety precautions that make sense (like having those chirping street lights in front of a school for the blind, for example), but if these safety Nazis had their way, every town and village would have to pay (and that means you and I) to have every traffic signal - nay, every intersection, equipped with those wretched chirping traffic signals.

Instead, let's spend the money on finding cures for blindess.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Depends on many factors dealing with the surroundings, how fast the vehicle is moving, the direction it is moving respective to you, how loud it is...you may not hear it until it is too late if it is traveling at a high speed straight at you. In fact, that would be the worst vantage point in terms of hearing something.

In terms of hybrids being too quiet, still seems like a load of bs to me. There's a prius that drives up my street every day and it is no quieter than any other car that I hear driving around the neighborhood. Sounds like a normal car. In fact, I'd say most of the noise I hear from cars around the neighborhood is associated with road/tire noise. Unless there is some tuned exhaust on the car, road/tire noise seems to be more prominent and overwhelming over any engine noise. Only time you really hear an engine in a neighborhood is if someone needs to give it more gas to get up a hill or something like that. The most noticeable car on my street is actually my sister's G35c and its notorious exhaust note.

I can see that...

I wasn't really thinking about speed since I normally walk beside small neighborhood streets.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

.........back on topic. This reminds me of a case about 25 years ago where a 14 year old kid was crossing a bunch of train tracks while wearing his Walkman (new technology at the time and has lots of detractors then). A train hit and killed him. There was a hue and cry to ban Walkmans while (get ready for this) walking.

I thought that one of the major goals in automotive technologies was to make a car quieter, no? All this social pandering is getting tedious, like firetrucks roaring up and down the street at 4 a.m. with their sirens wailing - why is that? Oh, because some union safety study indicated they HAD to have their sirens on full blast. At noon, that makes sense - at 4 a.m., not so much. [Oh, sorry, one of my pet peeves.]

I have a major philosophy in life: $h! happens. Sometimes, as a society, we cannot and should not, cater to every single self-interest group. It sucks to be blind, no doubt, but we are getting slammed from self-interest groups on every front. There are safety precautions that make sense (like having those chirping street lights in front of a school for the blind, for example), but if these safety Nazis had their way, every town and village would have to pay (and that means you and I) to have every traffic signal - nay, every intersection, equipped with those wretched chirping traffic signals.

Instead, let's spend the money on finding cures for blindess.

Excellent post!

I agree 100%.

I used to be a part of a fire department and we would get frequent complaints about that sort of thing. We had one church that asked us to not run them during their service but, by law, we had to (Eventhough we thought it sucked too)

Maybe we can find a compromise. I do feel for the blind folks though because their lives are already difficult enough.

Edited February 24, 2008 by FUTURE_OF_GM