President Obama has been busy signing a number of bills into law today, including the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, which, according to the Congressional Research Service
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study and report to Congress on the minimum level of sound that is necessary to be emitted from a motor vehicle, or some other method, to alert blind and other pedestrians of the presence of operating motor vehicles while traveling.
But that’s not all. Once the SecTrans determines the minimum standard for alerting blind pedestrians to a vehicle’s presence, he is required to
initiate rulemaking to promulgate a motor vehicle safety standard
(1) establishing performance requirements for an alert sound that allows blind and other pedestrians to reasonably detect a nearby electric or hybrid vehicle operating below the cross-over speed, if any; and
(2) requiring new electric or hybrid vehicles to provide an alert sound conforming to the requirements of the motor vehicle safety standard established under this subsection.
Let’s hope Secretary LaHood takes the time to read David Holzman’s treatise on the topic before setting anything in stone. Read the whole thing here.
I was hoping for something more like this:
Or the Jetsons would have been better.
Or this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vitvO5kSYj0
Does this law require the retrofitting of existing hybrids/electric vehicles?
Yes, but you get to choose between a horn that continuously plays either “La Cucaracah” or “Dixie.”
I’d definitely go for La Cucaracha!
Thank God he finally promulgated. I’m sick of hearing the Left, Right & Center say he ain’t done nuthin’.
To be clear, The Right accuses him of doing all the things the Left really wishes he’d do.
Bummer. One of the best parts of driving a hybrid is stealth in the parking lot…I’m sure if I ever have another hybrid, I’ll disable the noisemaker…
Man. I feel safer already. Thanks, government.
I’ll crank up my killer stereo at intersections to make sure my car makes it’s presence known.
I’m sure this measure will save ones of lives.
I mean, how many blind people get killed by being hit by cars every year? This is a solution without a problem.
UPDATE:
A little research on the Internet reveals that about 5 blind people are killed by cars every year. The National Federation of the Blind is not aware of any blind person who was killed or struck by a car because he or she could not hear the car. (Although the Federation does believe that increasingly silent cars — both electric and gasoline — may cause accidents in the future. So the Federation supports this legislation.)
Millions of dollars will be spent, then, and noise pollution will be increased across the United States to possibly prevent an accident in the future. Seems to me that the money and effort should be spent on a more pressing problem. We have plenty of those.
Let’s hope Secretary LaHood takes the time to read David Holzman’s treatise on the topic before setting anything in stone.
You expect someone in the government to actually read before passing a law? How passe’.
Considering how many people get hit by bicycles every year because of their silence, it’s probably a good idea to add some kind of sound to electric vehicles. V8 rumbling would be nice.
Now, in the future we’ll put 43 of these things on a NASCAR track and what do you get? One big WHOOOOOSH! This would take the zoom-zoom out of Mazda.
I would make my electric car play the sound of Paul Gilbert playing guitar with a drill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L2ntzCTZHY&feature=related
Real electric motor sounds made loud!
How many pedestrians get struck by cars while listening to their ipods?
We’re gonna need some more laws….
I didn’t know the Leaf was powered by a gas turbine. All along, I thought it was pure electric.
Can’t they put a playing card in the spokes?
excellent – gets my vote!
I say we should be able to hack the noisemaker and flash our own noises onto it. My personal choice would be the 5 minute drum solo from Ina-Goda-Davida.