Loud Pipes Save Lives…?

That has been the credo of lovers of loud exhaust since the
car was invented, but with the recently growing trend of gas-electric hybrids,
a very real concern has surfaced.  With a
car that makes virtually no sound while driving in electric mode, there is a
possible safety issue to blind pedestrians who cannot see the car coming, but
also from the point of joggers with headphones or bicyclists who may not hear
the near-silent car coming.

A division of Lotus Engineering has designed a system that
when installed in a hybrid vehicle, omits a simulated engine sound.  The “Safe and Sound” system, which is
installed in a Toyota Prius as their display model, works by means of a speaker
mounted near the radiator, and pointing forward so that almost none of the
sound id audible inside of behind the vehicle. 
When running in electric mode, the system monitors the speed of the
vehicle and makes the appropriate amount of sound, and when the car switches
into gasoline mode, the system shuts down, only to start automatically once the
vehicle returns to electric power.

While this system is in its early stages, the Guide Dogs for
the Blind Association has recognized Hybrid cars as a risk to people with
vision problems, and that something along these lines should be offered as more
and more of Hybrids hit the road.