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Electric vehicles pose concerns for blind pedestrians - possible solutions »
Posted by: theothergreen 2 years agoElectric vehicles are an exciting future technology, but one aspect of the near-silent cars is a true negative: blind pedestrians will have a hard time hearing the cars coming. Possible soultions include adding noises to the cars to alert the visually impaired.
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Comments: 20
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kriicket
Sept. 21, 2006, 11:40 a.m.well, i guess that means the DRIVERS of the vehicle will have to stay off of the cell phones and be a little more aware of their suroundings huh !!
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vagredajr
Sept. 21, 2006, 12:17 p.m.Jeez, can't a man drive aimlessly and recklessly in his gigantor SUV on the streets of the US any more? What is this country coming to... ;-)
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Webreader
Sept. 21, 2006, 1:01 p.m.Just what we need, more noise. Bicycles have been "silent" since they were invented and I haven't heard "blind" people complain about those. Besides, a car with 4 wide rolling tires on the pavement is not totally silent. That's all you hear anyway with modern cars with good mufflers and engine compartment insulation. Hey, open your ears! Why create a problem when there isn't?
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PINTO
Sept. 21, 2006, 1:52 p.m.So the entire industry would have to accomidate a very few, sounds kinda silly to me
I get putting up ramps on buildings and having handicap parking but this should be the last thing worried about.
Lets figure out how to make electic cars the norm first
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Meatmallet
Sept. 21, 2006, 1:54 p.m.Jeezus H.
I agree with Webreader must we always be so politically correct.Hey maybe we could put those devices on the cars that only deer and deaf people can hear
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Webreader
Nov. 29, 2006, 5:37 p.m.I am just getting around to your post, which I appreciate, reminded by the new story about GM and "new" hybrid technology. Of course the electric car has been around since the "horseless carriage" was built. Perhaps jordan11's karma will run over his dogma. I have those deer whistles on my car, and I haven't hit one, but is it like the man sitting in the midwestern town square with his elbow in his ear? When asked why, he says it is to keep the elephants away. When told no one has ever seen an elephant here, the man says "it works doesn't it!"
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CarlosD
Sept. 21, 2006, 3 p.m.Even though we tune it out, freeway hum is present every minute of urban dwellers lives. The hum impedes hearing or noticing subtle noises. The blind may benefit from eliminating the 50 decibel hum we all must hear. I look forward to a lot less automobile noise. Less pollution would be even better.
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ChristianZ
Sept. 21, 2006, 7:24 p.m.I'm not blind but I have found that I am very dependent on sound, especially when hearing cars I can't yet see.
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gospel-truth
Sept. 21, 2006, 7:55 p.m.IT'S BETTER TO LAUGH THAN TO CRY...
I HAVEN'T SEEN OR HEARD OF AN AUTO WRECK WITH A BLIND PERSON DRIVING.
BUT, I HAVE SEEN A SIGN ON THE BACK OF A VAN WITH THE WORDS "BLIND MAN DRIVING".
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kboy
Sept. 21, 2006, 8:36 p.m.Maybe the blind need to carry a flashing light or something to warn the drivers. Doing this might also help the deaf since they cannot hear any car coming.
The reduction of noise polution is great on the electrics and adding a beeping will really be annoying. As more and more electric cars get on the road it will be really annoyiny.
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Methysmenos
Sept. 21, 2006, 10:28 p.m.The electric cars should also make whale sounds so they don't get hit either.
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kriicket
Sept. 21, 2006, 11:28 p.m.well, there are still human drivers in the cars aren't there?? Even if a blind person can't hear the car doesn't mean that the person DRIVING the car can't see the blind person (no pun intended)....unless of course we are talking about a car that can drive itself like Knight Rider did. Maybe I am not "getting" the context of the article.
And I have to say this....the blind carry a flashlight to warn the drivers???? Aren't the drivers supposed to be paying attention anyway?? It's not like the drivers of the cars are blind too.....or is that the way the article interprets??
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CodeNameHawk
Sept. 22, 2006, 1:41 a.m.If you will listen to the very quiet motors of these toyota and honda cars, you hardly hear a sound coming from them much less hear them coming down the street.
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jordan11
Sept. 22, 2006, 3:22 a.m.Meatmallet: I agree with Webreader must we always be so politically correct>>>
Perhaps Karma will pay you a visit one day, and show you 'why.'
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samsara15
Sept. 22, 2006, 9:47 a.m.You don't score many points for running over blind people anyway - they're too easy. You score more points for the quick and the young.
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Changingconstant
Nov. 29, 2006, 3:07 p.m.Not all blind people use the canes, glasses, or dogs which makes it likely you have passed more blind people than you realized.
Even now there are great advances in science and technology being made to give the blind "sight". However not many will be able to afford the devices which leaves a need for some notification of traffic.
I think back-up signals would be helpful for all cars for use in parking lots and other areas with high foot traffic and low visibilty.
Children are much more likely victims than the blind because they tend to move quickly and unpredictably. That is the case in louder cars too.
Changing the road to have rumble strips at intersections is being done in rural areas but isn't very practical for city lights. The city cross-walks around me (MI) already have a noise when it's safe to cross. I don't think it is just the intersections posing a hazard.
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Webreader
Nov. 29, 2006, 5:41 p.m.Imagine hundreds of cars in a city, within your earshot, all beeping. This would make those, thank God temporary, construction sites with all the big machines and trucks with their mandatory reverse beepers sound in comparison like being in a quiet soundproof room.
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