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Originally Posted by bwilson4web
First off, welcome to GreenHybrid.com. One of the moderators here, we look forward to discussions and we encourage folks with different points of view.
One thing you mentioned is difficulty getting "registered." I know NASA has some standards to make sure web sites work for the blind. I don't know the technical details but was wondering if you might have a good URL for systems we can use to test access for the blind?
I just returned from the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration meeting held Monday, June 23. Did you get a chance to attend or hear much about it?
About the other items, I'd like to share my thinking: - protective gear - this is meant to deal with an accident, not to give license. Bicyclists and in some states, motorcyclist wear helmets to minimize fatalities. If I go roller-blade or skate-boarding, I'll have gloves, knee-pads, elbow pads and a light duty helmet. If at dark, I'll also have a light. I do these things not to give 'license to kill' ("Hey Earl, let's see how far that roller-blade guy will bounce.") but rather to deal with distracted, inattentive drivers who may miss seeing me but not their bumper. Also, I'm sometimes clumsy.
- hybrid cars - actually there was an interesting presentation by Les Blomberg, Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, and he pointed out the bigger picture is the high ambient noise is masking not only hybrids but all modern, smaller cars. It is like trying to hold a conversation in at a party. Over time, the sound levels grow louder and louder as everyone tries to communication until you are nearly shouting into someone's ear. He had some excellent charts showing how this "sound masking" works. This is why using a hearing aid won't work. Amplification of an over-loaded audio doesn't make it clearer, it just sells more aspirin.
I've used the GPS in my studies and realize it is too imprecise for this task. It has its uses but not in this case.
Hopefully, later tonight you'll enjoy reading my 'trip report.'
Bob Wilson |
info on accessibility: wikipedia is a good starting point.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_accessibility
on headgear: i beg to differ. I live in the netherlands, where the number of bicycle related accidents is very low, despite the fact that no one wears bicycle helmets, not even children, because provisions have been made for bike traffic (separate bike lanes for instance). The only thing I would be asking is a not too loud sound, signaling that a car is approaching or waiting. As long as there are non-hybrids, the only danger is that posed by "lone" hybrids. I'd like to hear those coming. As I said: me announcing my presence by means of a cane should be enough to alert a driver. It alerts non-hybrid drivers, so why not drivers of hybrids. After all, that's why there are white cane laws. I make myself very conspicuous, indeed, wearing LED lights at night. However, I have to rely on my hearing and again, I have traveled safely for most of my adult life. A bike helmet won't make me safer in traffic. Using sound patterns does. It's a skill everyone learns in mobility training.