I want an external speaker to make it sound like a GT or Cobra rumbling

 

What are the stats for blind people being hit by cars (any type of car)? How many pedistrean that can hear are hit by cars? Per year stats. Now, of each group how many are hit by so called "silent" cars? Is the percentage greater on the blind group?

 

Yeah, I'd like to see more stats on this issue. The issue came up in my city last year, blind folks and hybrids, then, faded away for now. At the time it seemed the issue was about hybrids sitting at stop lights, stop signs ect and not making any noise, thus a blind person could step off the curb just as the vehicle was about to move.

The big yuck was that the group handling the complaint wanted hybrids to have 'backup alarms' wired in such that when the engine shut down the alarm went on. Certainly nothing I'd favour, and can't even imagine how horrible that would be.

 

I already have a factory backup alarm that goes off if anything is close to the back of my vehicle when I backup. It even makes racket when I approach a curb.

Sounds about like the legislation that cell phone cameras should make racket when you take a picture, the idea being that pedophiles are taking pictures of kids.

 

First, welcome to GreenHybrid.com. This is good place to discuss hybrid electric vehicles, all makes and models. In this particular issue, we also have active threads in the General area but here is OK too.
Injury or other?

I know you are new here and one of the things we caution is to avoid personal attack. Discuss the issues, facts and data, and we can agree to disagree. Discuss personalities, well we have little tolerance of that type of post.

We also understand the seeing eye schools have expanded the training to include hybrid electric cars. Also, we understand the white cane is pretty common as well as an assistant when going into new areas.

Does he have a cell phone? Sanyo had an announcement last summer about a cell phone modified to alert when around hybrid cars. But I agree that the device on the blind should not respond to the wireless signal.

I think the right answer is the blind or small children or the elderly or anyone else who has impared mobility to have a silent transmitter similar to the remote keyless entry fob for your car(s). Without having to do anything, it would cause a short horn bleep and light flash when the car is near one of these at risk individuals. It could be built into a cell phone but I would rather see them given away with every new car, both gas and hybrid. It would be a universal 'key fob' alarm that lets not only the blind but also the car driver know of the at risk person.

Your son is already at risk from engine powered vehicles. What we are proposing reduces the risk not only for 'a few blind people' but also the toddlers, elderly and other impared mobility people. We think they need improved safety along with the blind and a noise maker simply makes our hybrids just as dangerous as today's gas vehicles.

Well the kids at Stanford claimed their system would cost $600 per car. Lotus has yet to announce a cost for their noise maker and the Fisker is an $80,000 hybrid sold by the dozens. The $3 claim is unrealistic. Regardless, who pays for that part?

Ultimately, it is the hybrid electric owner, people like us, who will someday replace our hybrids with another car. It doesn't matter if it were $.01, it is an additional cost, something the buyers will have to pay.

We take that seriously and I just searched every posting in GreenHybrid and could not find any evidence of the text "********" being used except by your post. Second to abusive posting is to make a false claim about abusive posting. I am sorry but false personal claims are not acceptable posting practice.

NOTE: a misspelling converted what might have been 'black humor' into something that read much worse. Please be careful when making such claims and use the "triangle-!" to report abusive posts to the moderators.

Ignorance is an equal opportunity employer and that is why free and open discussions are important. But throwing language bombs and making false, personal attacks are never acceptable.

Bob Wilson

 

Well, that was interesting.

I ride a bike - a lot, logging around 125+ miles/week. At 73 I'm hearing impaired read: I use hearing aids. Oh, by the way I'm a walker also.

What I hear when a car passes - I should say what I think I hear is the sound of the tires on the road.

Car engines in general have become quieter and for me, unless I'm inside the hood, or in the Prius, I can not hear the engines on most cars unless they are close to me.

The exception are trucks and busses. I can hear them for quite a distance.

Another point. The driver is burdened. It is (usually) our responsibility to see that pedestrian.

 

I had a post deleted earlier because of some derogatory language. The deleter was correct. I spelled a word wrong. The prior post that I replied to referred to people as "knatsplat". I misspelled it in my reply as "knatspat". My error. Same point though. Here is a cut from the prior post to refresh it, this is what I referred to as offensive:

"A buddy of my who lost all his vision can also get around NYC without becominig knatsplat on some cabs windshield. If a visually impaired person is having problems crossing the street they need more mobility lessons. "

If a blind person has a cell phone to tell them when they are "in the vicinity of a hybrid" as you state, then in NYC or any other city when the phone warning goes off is the hybrid in front of them, behind, left, right, or a block away? 30 feet away or 60? 90 or 150? One hybrid or two, passing front and back? When hybrids become more common, would you have blind people stand on the corner waiting (hours) before the cellphone "warnings" cease? This is an individual rights issue. If a blind person hears a noise that is associated with a hybrid (sorry, I can do it for 3 bucks, the smart kids from Stanford can do a noise for $600 if they want to), then the blind person knows where it is, uses the doppler effect to track it. By the way, the doppler effect is free also, not $600. So a blind person can travel well with such an accomodation. Your cell phone related technology just paralyzes a blind person. It is a good start, but I dont think you thought it through very well. blind_dad

 

Bob, he's right: See...thats the voice of reason. Each day in the country people become roadkill because of various reasons. Most of those reasons are either the driver not paying attention or the pedestrian walking with his/her head in the clouds. The onus should not be on the hybrid manufacturer to fix human errors. Drivers should pay attention to the road and pedestrians should pay attention to their surroundings. I still have central sight and I can get around NYC. A buddy of my who lost all his vision can also get around NYC without becominig knatsplat on some cabs windshield. If a visually impaired person is having problems crossing the street they need more mobility lessons. If a driver hits a pedestrian they need A.D.D. meds. lol Or to learn how to pay attention while driving.
I guess I just needed to blow off some steam because I was hoping this was a dead issue (in the visually disabled world) but apparently its not.
Its survival of the fittest, if you get creamed while crossing the street because your not paying enough attention, in my mind, you fall into the same catagory as those who killed themselves rocking vending machines or the person responsible for the Dr. Peper bottle having the warming "contents under presure, open away from face". lol

 

Bob, he's right: Posted by twolostminds

 

First, I want to take issue with the title of the thread.

Second, several points are raised which I think, if we were in a more receptive and analytical mood we would consider.

For example: On the one hand it is thought the onus for alerting a blind person should not be placed on the manufacturer. Why not? If you thought it might avoid running someone down, would that fact not mute your argument?

On the other hand, blind-dad raises his own issue: when and under what conditions would this alert ring/buzz/vibrate?

We've come a long ways from when the blind were shut away, ignorant and unknowing. This is a world where, strangely enough noise dominates from U2 blaring from a car next to mine to people washing their problems on their cell phone in a supermarket checkout line.

For me the question is: Is this problem a matter for the individual to solve or society's.

The question for you is: Is discussion worth your time and effort? And do you wish to carry this discussion in a professional matter.