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Noising up electric cars?

techs

techs

Lifer
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2...ise_standard_for_cars/

US lawmakers to de-silence electric cars

A bill that will require electric and hybrid cars to make enough noise so that blind folks can hear them coming has been introduced in the US Senate.

The bill, S. 841 - more pedestrian-ly known as the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 - doesn't specifically mention adding noise to otherwise silent vehicles. It merely instructs the US Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study to devise and require a "non-visual alert regarding the location, motion, speed, and direction of travel of a motor vehicle."



I never thought of this. I wonder if blind people actually hear engine noise instead of a cars rolling noises?
 
Originally posted by: techs
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2...ise_standard_for_cars/

US lawmakers to de-silence electric cars

A bill that will require electric and hybrid cars to make enough noise so that blind folks can hear them coming has been introduced in the US Senate.

The bill, S. 841 - more pedestrian-ly known as the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 - doesn't specifically mention adding noise to otherwise silent vehicles. It merely instructs the US Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study to devise and require a "non-visual alert regarding the location, motion, speed, and direction of travel of a motor vehicle."



I never thought of this. I wonder if blind people actually hear engine noise instead of a cars rolling noises?
Click to expand...
I don't understand this entire issue. I'm not blind and I can hear an electric car coming my direction from a ways off. Tires make road noise that's easy to hear. Allegedly, most blind people have a shapened sense of hearing and that road noise should be even more readily identifiable for them. I guess a case could be made for when the cars are at a full stop but there are plenty of standard cars that you can barely hear when they're at a full stop too. Seems like such a non-issue.
 
I think the issue might be more with mixed traffic. Conventional car noise would cover up an electric's sound, especially in an urban environment.
 
That's fucking stupid. What are they going to do, put a speaker on the car that makes engine noises?

:laugh:
 
How about a sensor that can detect things 25 ft in front of it and then yells "GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!!!!"
 
Originally posted by: Fritzo
How about a sensor that can detect things 25 ft in front of it and then yells "GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!!!!"
Click to expand...

I'd only alert at 5'. They'd have to go back home to change their undies :^D
 
Originally posted by: KK
Leave it to the fucking worthless pos government to think up of some crap like this.
Click to expand...

You have no idea how many accidents or deaths have been caused by this or even any relevant statistics at all. It must be an automatic response for you to say retarded things like that simply because the government is doing it. Completely silent cars aren't just dangerous for blind people you dumbass.
 
Wouldn't a blind person be MORE likely to hear an electric car coming? I thought your remaining senses were heightened when you lose one of the others.

KT
 
Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
Originally posted by: KK
Leave it to the fucking worthless pos government to think up of some crap like this.
Click to expand...

You have no idea how many accidents or deaths have been caused by this or even any relevant statistics at all. It must be an automatic response for you to say retarded things like that simply because the government is doing it. Completely silent cars aren't just dangerous for blind people you dumbass.
Click to expand...

Care to share those statics then?
I find it VERY improbable that a large number of blind people are hit on a yearly basis due to the fact that the car was electric. I'd like to see the total number of blind people hit in a year even.
 
Originally posted by: Homerboy
Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
Originally posted by: KK
Leave it to the fucking worthless pos government to think up of some crap like this.
Click to expand...

You have no idea how many accidents or deaths have been caused by this or even any relevant statistics at all. It must be an automatic response for you to say retarded things like that simply because the government is doing it. Completely silent cars aren't just dangerous for blind people you dumbass.
Click to expand...

Care to share those statics then?
I find it VERY improbable that a large number of blind people are hit on a yearly basis due to the fact that the car was electric. I'd like to see the total number of blind people hit in a year even.
Click to expand...

He can't, he's just spouting out. He needs to go back to whacking off his congressmen.

Anyways, do they noise up electric trains? Let see the statistics for trains hitting blind midgets?
 
Originally posted by: KK
Originally posted by: Homerboy
Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
Originally posted by: KK
Leave it to the fucking worthless pos government to think up of some crap like this.
Click to expand...

You have no idea how many accidents or deaths have been caused by this or even any relevant statistics at all. It must be an automatic response for you to say retarded things like that simply because the government is doing it. Completely silent cars aren't just dangerous for blind people you dumbass.
Click to expand...

Care to share those statics then?
I find it VERY improbable that a large number of blind people are hit on a yearly basis due to the fact that the car was electric. I'd like to see the total number of blind people hit in a year even.
Click to expand...

He can't, he's just spouting out. He needs to go back to whacking off his congressmen.

Anyways, do they noise up electric trains? Let see the statistics for trains hitting blind midgets?
Click to expand...

Don't get me started on those Segways....
 
I can see that being a problem. Even if they can hear it a blind person may not be able to correctly judge the distance.

Edit: After having become accustomed to regular cars, that is.
 
Did you guys see the sponsors? John Kerry and Arlen Specter. They just want their names on something before they die, since it isn't going to be the office of the president. Be assured that science has taken no part in this legislation.
 
Originally posted by: SlitheryDee
I can see that being a problem. Even if they can hear it a blind person may not be able to correctly judge the distance.

Edit: After having become accustomed to regular cars, that is.
Click to expand...

Blinds can't see it as a problem.


 
Too many congressmen diddling their interns when the wifey isn't home. Hard to hear the hybrid roll up the driveway.
 
Good idea, but it feels like putting the cart before the horse. I like the idea of noisier electric cars, but shouldn't we actually have mainstream electric cars available from major manufacturers in the first place?
 
I would first like to see some hard data to indicate that this is a real problem that needs to be addressed.

And even then you could just hand out smug detectors to all the blind people.
 
It's only fair that we force bicycle riders to have loudspeakers mounted on their bikes then, and skateboards, etc...

It'd be cheaper and make more sense to add a device to hybrids and electric cars that broadcast to a reciever we could screw into blind people's brains.

Damn blind people, first I can't have a flying car, now I can't even have a quiet car?

 
Originally posted by: Homerboy
Originally posted by: KK
Originally posted by: Homerboy
Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
Originally posted by: KK
Leave it to the fucking worthless pos government to think up of some crap like this.
Click to expand...

You have no idea how many accidents or deaths have been caused by this or even any relevant statistics at all. It must be an automatic response for you to say retarded things like that simply because the government is doing it. Completely silent cars aren't just dangerous for blind people you dumbass.
Click to expand...

Care to share those statics then?
I find it VERY improbable that a large number of blind people are hit on a yearly basis due to the fact that the car was electric. I'd like to see the total number of blind people hit in a year even.
Click to expand...

He can't, he's just spouting out. He needs to go back to whacking off his congressmen.

Anyways, do they noise up electric trains? Let see the statistics for trains hitting blind midgets?
Click to expand...

Don't get me started on those Segways....
Click to expand...

:laugh:
 
This is a legitimate issue. Others have suggested that they should be able to hear the tires coming, but a lot of electrics use low resistance tires that make very little road noise because of their low friction.

Not all of the proposed solutions require the cars to make acoustic noise, one idea is to fit electrics with a radio transmitter and then have blind people carry a receiver that will alert them whenever an electric car is nearby. To me something like this seems ideal, because you still have the benefit of electric cars, which is lower noise pollution.
 
Originally posted by: lxskllr
I think the issue might be more with mixed traffic. Conventional car noise would cover up an electric's sound, especially in an urban environment.
Click to expand...

I think this is the problem.

Hell, even I recognize the creepy silence of an electric/hybrid whirring past me. Though, I do live in an area with a concentration of such. it really is strange.
 
Originally posted by: frostedflakes
This is a legitimate issue. Others have suggested that they should be able to hear the tires coming, but a lot of electrics use low resistance tires that make very little road noise because of their low friction.

Not all of the proposed solutions require the cars to make acoustic noise, one idea is to fit electrics with a radio transmitter and then have blind people carry a receiver that will alert them whenever an electric car is nearby. To me something like this seems ideal, because you still have the benefit of electric cars, which is lower noise pollution.
Click to expand...

that's another problem. the less noise is a much better thing, but it does create problems. I've driven a Prius briefly, and the lack of vibration while idling is a bit unnerving. well, it is for me. keep thinking the car has shut down.

Also, I thought most of the electric manufacturers were quickly going out of business. Didn't the number one seller in the country shrink to ~4 sales per month recently?
 
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