Hybrids vs. pedestrians

Efforts to protect pedestrians by turning up the volume on quiet-running electric and hybrid vehicles are picking up speed in California and elsewhere.

The folks up in Sacramento have sent a bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that (in classic bureaucratic fashion) directs the California Energy Commission to set up a committee to study the issue and report back in one year with recommendations on what, if anything, to do about it.

What’s the beef?

As hybrid and electric vehicles become more numerous — more than 350,000 now cruise California roads — concerns are growing that the blissful silence of the vehicles’ electric motors poses a genuine threat to pedestrians, especially the blind. (See earlier story here.)

Although there apparently are no reported cases of a pedestrian being killed after walking in front of a silent-running hybrid, near misses and minor scrapes are becoming more frequent. According to a story going around Sacto, an unsuspecting Assembly staffer was almost clipped by a hybrid while walking through Capitol parking garage.

Such incidents have led to proposals for adding external noisemaking devices to hybrids so they would alert the blind and just-plain-inattentive pedestrians to their presence. Companies are working on a range of solutions, such as Lotus’ idea to install a waterproof speaker on the front of the car that would project realistic-sounding engine noise.

“There’s been a movement to make vehicles quieter, but we can be victims of our own virtue,” Carrie Cornwell, chief consultant to the Senate House and Transportation Committee. “That could be the case with automobiles if they get too quiet.”

Suggestions to “bell the hybrid” have been met with derision by some (though by no means all) hybrid owners. As one poster at website GreenHybrid put it recently: “Asking tens of thousands of hybrid owners to add noisemakers is burdensome.”

Some environmentalists have even groused that carping about silent running could slow the spread of hybrid vehicles, which are prized for their high gas mileage and low emissions.

“We are in total support of these types of vehicles,” reassures Dan Kysor, who lobbies the Legislature on behalf of the California Council of the Blind. “We just want to mitigate the possible pedestrian safety hazards.”

Kysor, who is blind and gets around with the help of a guide dog, said he’s had several close encounters with hybrids. They’re particularly dangerous when sitting at idle, he said, because the gasoline engine shuts down completely.

“I can sense there’s a big object nearby, but because it’s not making any noise, I can’t tell what it is,” he said.

Kysor said his group wasn't seeking to mandate anything to automakers. It justs want the state to study the issue. Kysor also said there were options besides adding obnoxious honking or beeping noises. One he heard of that’s being used in Japan — where the current generation of hybrids originated — is a sound system that reproduces the gentle “clip clop” of a horse’s hooves, speeding up or slowing down to match the speed of the car.

Cornwell said no matter what happens, it’s unlikely that the state would require noisemakers to be retrofitted to vehicles already on the road.

Schwarzenegger reportedly hasn’t taken a position on the California bill by state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat. The committee that the bill would create would include reps from the auto and insurance industries, law enforcement and advocates for the blind. Hybrid owners wouldn’t have a seat at the table.

Other states are also studying the issue, and there are rumblings on the federal level as well. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration held hearings in June, and regulation could be forthcoming.

-- Martin Zimmerman

Photo: GuideDogs.com

Comments

[Bob Wilson]

In fact, 25 kids died in back-over accidents in 2006, the same year 5 blind died from ordinary cars and pickup trucks. But instead of working on a real problem, a problem that kills by bumpers and running engine exhaust pipes, these representatives are pandering.

Curious that they don't invite hybrid electric owners to the table, the ones who will have to pay the bill. The last time this was attempted, "Taxation without representation," it didn't turn out well for King George. What are they afraid of learning? Perhaps the truth.

Bob Wilson

[greg McClatchy]

This underlines the ability of many people to simply ignore the facts. The biggest amount of noise in modern cars comes from tire and sound generated by wind resistance, not the engines. Many "conventional" cars have the same sound levels as hybrids at low speeds. If this were to be a legitimate concern, do all bicycles (use of which will increase with gas prices) need to have playing cards in the spokes?

[greg McClatchy]

This underlines the ability of many people to simply ignore the facts. The biggest amount of noise in modern cars comes from tire and sound generated by wind resistance, not the engines. Many "conventional" cars have the same sound levels as hybrids at low speeds. If this were to be a legitimate concern, do all bicycles (use of which will increase with gas prices) need to have playing cards in the spokes?

[Leilani Collins]

I've heard others complain about "too quiet" hybrids, but have no personal knowledge of people being run down in the streets of Sacramento (yes, that's where I live) by crazed Prius drivers.

How about we ask pedestrians to pay some attention to where they are walking? Of course, all vehicle drivers need to be responsible for watching out for pedestrians (blind or sighted), children who lack the capacity to keep themselves safe, etc., not just hybrid owners.

In my neighborhood there are no sidewalks, and we have children and adolescents walking in the middle of the road after school and all day during weekends and summer.

As a Prius owner, I've found that all I need to do to warn them is to turn my radio up and roll the window down. It alerts them that someone is coming up behind and is kinder than cruising up behind them and honking. It's a simple (and free) solution.

[peter C]

Greg - to be fair, have you ever had a hybrid sneak up on you while in a parking structure, or perhaps walking a pet in the evening? A great deal of noise may come from the engine, but at low speed the hybrids sound like a golf cart. The only noise you really hear is the tires against the pavement, so I somewhat disagree that hybrids and conventional cars make the same amount of noise at low speed.

That said, I do think some common sense needs to be applied. I'm not convinced that some artificial noise pollution device is the answer. It's just that you can't legislate common sense, nor good behavior.

[Thomas Kleingartner]

I just spend a few days vacation in a bikes-and-golf-carts-only resort, and as blissful as the total lack of cars and their noisy motors was, I think I must have had at least four near-misses with zipping cycles and zooming golf-carts, especially at night (granted, people weren't very good about turning on their lights). So my brief experience with a no-car paradise suggests that it is important to figure out some kind of warning system or slightly higher noise level for pedestrian safety.

[Thomas Kleingartner]

I just spend a few days vacation in a bikes-and-golf-carts-only resort, and as blissful as the total lack of cars and their noisy motors was, I think I must have had at least four near-misses with zipping cycles and zooming golf-carts, especially at night (granted, people weren't very good about turning on their lights). So my brief experience with a no-car paradise suggests that it is important to figure out some kind of warning system or slightly higher noise level for pedestrian safety.

[Mike]

Hey all that needs to be done is for someone to get off of there duff and run a test or two. There are laws on the books about loud cars already. Don't police out there in California carry decibel meters. Simple solution have some tests run. Don't need to waste money on a committee run by the Government. You have consumer reports that could run the tests. There is also the Center for concerned scientists or what every they go by.

[Bob Wilson]

The noise maker says, "You Prius drivers no longer have to worry about pedestrians now because they will hear the noise maker and jump out of the way." Which way does a blind person 'jump?" That is exactly what the noise maker does, breed a sense of complacency ... until the deaf (or cell phone talking) pedestrian comes along.

Will you tell the Judge, "Your honor, it wasn't my fault. I was playing my radio really loud so I wouldn't use my horn to save their life."

Worse, sound generators do nothing for small children, like the ones crushed by rear bumpers and exhaust pipes in back-over accidents. You could weld the noise maker to the exhaust pipe and they would still die because the driver doesn't know they are there.

The reason for the wireless, keyfob is to activate the horn even if the driver is unaware, distracted or too "kinder" to save a life. That is why it is needed, to give not only the pedestrian but the driver and by-standers a clue about traffic hazard.

In 5 years of NHTSA traffic accident data, there have been 11 Prius-pedestrian fatalities. But this is the same rate as ordinary cars. Someday, a Prius will kill a blind pedestrian but they'll have to wait behind the pickup trucks and SUVs that already hold that distinction.

The wireless, keyfob works not only for hybrids but every other car that has a keyless entry system. It is a universal solution that could cut the blind fatality rate from 5 to 3 or less. Best of all, it addresses the 25 kids killed every year in back-over accidents.

Where I come from, we don't think it is "kinder" to kill. We want solutions that work.

[richard schumacher]

All vehicles should be required to project before them a holographic image of a man swinging a railroad lantern and shouting "ahoy, ahoy!".

[Garrett]

Stop being wimps and drive cars with loud exhaust then. My WRX sounds pretty nice, with that low boxer rumble... The 24 hrs of LeMans in 2007 was won by Audi turbodiesel race cars.

I hear the new Koneigsigg CCXR Edition takes E85...

[Zeon]

Hey, Bob Wilson: It's not "taxation without representation" if the legislature is looking into it. They're elected to represent you.

[VP]

This is RIDICULOUS! why waste time and money discussing this? Hybrids already have a noise making mechanism, it's called a horn!!

[bwilson4web]

Hey Zeon,

Read the article:

"... The committee that the bill would create would include reps from the auto and insurance industries, law enforcement and advocates for the blind. Hybrid owners wouldn’t have a seat at the table. ..." Remember, hybrid electric owners are the ones who will have to pay the bill.

But you do make a good point, I'll make sure the opponents of each of these representatives gets a facts and data package. They might not listen today but maybe November 6th we can help them 'get a clue' and a new career. They are doing so badly in their current job.

[Pasadena'ed]

I see a return of the "La Cucaracha/Dixie-playing" car horns. But now, they go off when a pedestrian comes within 5 feet of the proximity sensors lining the vehicle.

Oh, and this new feature adds $1000 to every car.

Cheers!

[Jason]

This is absurd. Studying this is a waste of money, a waste of resources, and a waste of time. Leave it to our legislature to try to legislate something that is not a problem.

If people, blind or sighted, are startled by a Prius as they are walking through the parking lot, so be it. I've seen people aimlessly walk down the center of a parking lot not realizing that a car was right behind them. It makes sense that these same knuckleheads would be the ones who are startled to find that there is a Prius behind them. As more and more hybrids are sold in California, people wiill get used to this and change their behavior. Instead of walking aimlessly down the middle of the road, they'll just adapt and start walking along the sides. Blind people will recognize the distinctive hum of the Prius and other hybrids, and that large object that they can "sense" will no longer be a mystery to them.

Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the driver to not hit, or cause "close calls" with people unaware that they are there. To legislate a noise making device is absurd. Noise polution is real, and here we have something that can significantly reduce the amount of noise heard in the world, and we want to make it louder.

What's next? Are we going to put strobe lights on cars to help those who are hard of hearing to make sure they see oncoming cars as well. Give me a break.

[tedson]

This seems like another fabricated problem by the oil companies to discredit a threat to their oil profits. We already have crosswalks and traffic lights to control accidents. The corporations already crushed the popular electric cars of the previous decade to protect their profits. Don't let them do it again.

[J]

Ridiculous argument. So if i don't hear anything its okay to run out in the street or zigzag in a parking garage without looking. Pedestrians should not be walking in the middle of the road, driveway, or parking aisle to begin with.

Seems like some will stop at nothing to rant against the hybrids. To me they sound just like a regular car at low speeds with the tire noise.

People just pay attention this goes for drivers and pedestrians alike.

[Mike]

It interesting that the more tenured an elected official gets the more interested they become in working on tangents or inconsequential agendas.

They fail to realize that the "just do something" on something unlikely to polarize too badly or raise taxes does not equate with effectiveness as a legislature and leader but instead holds up our officials as foolish buffoons more interested in atmospherics and how it will play in the news than any attempt at true leadership.

I'm reminded we get what we deserve and who we elect, but I can't help but think that our elected officials work overtime to figure out how to stay in office forever and pretend to look like they're getting meaningful laws on the books.

This is a canary in the coal mine.

I wish I knew what to do, but I sure don't like it.

[Paul H]

Tedson = FTW (For the Win)

Side Note: I have noticed that many of my near misses with pedestrians have occurred from people walking out between parked vehicles, and other obstructions where I could not see them.

I think it is imperative that we equip all pedestrians out there with some sort of noise making device so drivers that have a hard time spotting these people can hear them coming before it’s too late!.

This would also work great at the super market where I see the majority of pedestrian related collisions happening. Now you would know there is someone walking out of the cereal isle, instead of running into them when they are traveling at low speeds or an idle pace where they produce no engine noise.

We need to do everything in our power to protect people from the multitude of hazards they encounter each and everyday. Common sense be damned!

[E]

Instead of adding noise pollution to hundreds of thousands of hybrids and electrics, why not shift the burden to the pedestrians. Surely small proximity sensors or hand-held radar sensors could be made for blind people to use when crossing streets.

[Trixie]

Oh, no! One of the things I love about my hybrid is that it IS quiet. Noise pollution is an underrated form of ever-present "smog."

[plusaf]

absolutely, Jason and J...
re: "“I can sense there’s a big object nearby, but because it’s not making any noise, I can’t tell what it is,” he said."

and WHERE ARE YOU when this happens? in a crosswalk? if a prius or any other car is in a crosswalk, you should lift your cane and slap it down on the hood to "see the object." that'll be a cheaper cure for the moron who put his or her car in your path. if they're in a right-turn-on-red lane, the interchange signals should warn you to beware of that.

maybe a cheap, hand-held sonar device could tell you if a car-sized object is in front of you.

would giving every ambulatory blind or vision-limited person one of those be cheaper than installing or retrofitting a warning noisemaker to every hybrid that has engine-shutdown, let alone all present and future electric vehicles????

rent a few engineers to look into this, not a few legislators, for whom laws are solutions, rather than critical thinking.

[plusaf]

and if cars should make noise, i like the idea of noisemakers on pedestrians, too....

and maybe bright flashing lights, too....

and the noisemakers have to be powerful enough to get my attention in my prius if the windows are up, the A/C is blasting, and there's one of my favorite tunes on the radio....

no engineers left... only politicians. got a problem? pass a law? never look at an engineering solution or personal responsibility....

[Giff Beaton]

I have driven a luxuriously quiet Civic Hybrid since 2005 and would agree that adding sound in a couple of very limited situations would improve public safety.

Because the gas motor only shuts off when you come to a complete stop, an electronic tone would be beneficial in those situations. In addition, adding an electronic tone when the car is in reverse would be beneficial because the combination of the driver's limited visibility coupled with the fact that a car in reverse is very likely to be traversing a pedestrian rich area (sidewalks, parking lots, etc.) creates a unique safety hazard which justifies remediation. That being said, perhaps all cars should emit an audible safety signal when in reverse?