Comments on: Traffic Safety Administration Prepares to Implement Green Car “Noisemaker” Regulations

By: John M. Tax

John M. Tax — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:31:29 +0000

When people are treated as stupid or inferior, they tend to behave that way. Treating anyone as intelligent and alert and that behavior will arise. It is about time we stopped treating society as a herd of morons. You want to stop traffic accidents? Bolt a sword to the dash of the car pointing at the driver’s throat. Then you’ll see safe driving – but then we are treating people like morons again….

By: Dominick Cavallario

Dominick Cavallario — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:10:55 +0000

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By: Peter Danbury

Peter Danbury — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:40:41 +0000

Getting more data is, as usual, a good idea, but it seems obvious to me that hybrid cars (or “chicken killers”, as they are called in Hawaii) are dangerously quiet. I applaud Toyota and other pioneers for giving us hybrids and all-electric vehicles. I have wanted a hybrid for a long time but am only now considering getting one because third-party companies are starting to meet the demand for noise-makers. I don’t know why this is so hard to grasp for some people. We all rely on not only our eyes but our ears as well to be safe pedestrians. (Blind people of course rely almost exlusively on their ears.) Hybrids and all-electric vehicles, minus noise-makers, strip us of that layer of safety. So, of course, they are involved in more accidents involving pedestrians, as studies have shown. Another study demonstrated that blind-folded subjects can detect gas-powered cars approaching from 36 feet away, on average, while hybrids are detectable a mere 11 feet away. Think about that. I don’t support helmet or seat-belt laws. If someone values comfort over safety for themselves I think that’s their choice. But when it comes to endangering others, that’s completely different. Three cheers for the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act! It’s about time! Though it should be called the Pedestrian Safety Restoration Act.

By: Matt B.

Matt B. — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:34:58 +0000

If there’s a “low incidence of pedestrian injuries in general”, why are we worried about this?

By: tdk

tdk — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:31:48 +0000

this does about the same thing as requiring adults to wear bicycle helmets. Sure there are occasions that it would make the difference, but putting an emphasis on saftey in the first place would be more effective.

By: Chris the Canadian

Chris the Canadian — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:38:04 +0000

Stupid idea. Cmnsns is spot on. Let’s take the responsibility for crossing the street safely away from pedestrians. Ridiculous. How about people not jay walking across busy streets at rush hour, drivers paying attention to where they are going and not tweeting/eating/texting/talking on the phone/adjusting the radio/or putting on make up while behind the wheel, people waiting for their light to turn green so they can walk, or not running across an intersection when your light is red.

By: Geack

Geack — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:47:14 +0000

Dave, Hell Yeah!! Except these days I wear plugs trackside even at the little 400 horse street classes. Cumulative hearing loss sucks :-)

Steve,

My only friend with a Prius is the least pretentious guy you’ll ever meet. Straight-up accounting dweeb. And he’s gonna get a Volt in a couple months. 40 mile elec range – 30 mile commute x relatively cheap electricity here in OH = $$$. Can’t argue with the numbers.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:54:18 +0000

It should sound out a warning that says, “Caution! Pretentious Douche Approaching!”

By: Dave in Calif

Dave in Calif — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:58:01 +0000

I would like mine to sound like a 3000 hp 130dB funny car.

By: Geack

Geack — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:15:41 +0000

I remember reading as a kid in one of those “silly laws that are still around” books that in somewhere or other, it was illegal to drive a car at night without having someone walking fifty feet ahead swinging a lantern to warn people you’re coming. This strikes me as similar: a knee-jerk response to a problem that likely won’t prove problematic. On the other hand, people around here swear by those little whistles you mount on your bumper to scare deer off the road at night… Maybe our future cars will roll along playing music.

By: zbird

zbird — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:00:17 +0000

The only benefit I can foresee is that it _might_ be beneficial to the blind. I think a lot more study is needed though. People already get run over by noisy cars – I’m not sure that loud cars are the answer.

By: cmnsns

cmnsns — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:06:04 +0000

The vehicles are becoming less noisy, annoying, and less harmful to everyone’s health as a result, so why don’t we deliberately make them loud again? Oh, what a great concept this is.

Teaching people to look both ways before they cross the street really does wonders for pedestrian safety.