DOT Wants Sound Requirement for Quiet Hybrids and EVs

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is close to approval on a proposal that requires electric vehicles and hybrids, cars quiet below 18 miles per hour, to have a minimum sound requirement. This proposal hopes to stop pedestrian accidents before they happen.

Newport Beach, Calif., January 10, 2013 - (PressReleasePoint) - One of the most common questions asked by people unfamiliar with hybrids and electric vehicles is whether the car is on. In low speeds or when the car is idling, the engine is not on and the system runs entirely on the battery. Even as the car accelerates, the small engine can only produce a fraction of the roar that once defined a speeding car.
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As fuel efficient hybrids and electric cars gain popularity on the road, there is a growing concern about the visually impaired that may be taken by surprise when a quiet hybrid is idling nearby.  What damage can be done by a stopped or slow moving vehicle piloted by a driver who can hopefully see pedestrians, regardless of handicap, remains to be seen. It seems that the concern is probably centered around parking lot accidents.
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To prevent these types of accidents and any injuries that may be caused, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing regulations for quiet cars in the interest of protecting the visually impaired and the generally unsuspecting pedestrians. At low speeds, quiet vehicles could approach pedestrians without the driver realizing anyone is in their blind spot. The NHTSA thinks that creating a minimum sound requirement on quiet cars will prevent about 2,800 pedestrian accidents a year.

"Safety is our highest priority, and this proposal will help keep everyone using our nation's streets and roadways safe, whether they are motorists, bicyclists or pedestrians, and especially the blind and visually impaired," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Though the regulation is still in the proposal stage, auto manufacturers are responding with safety systems. 2010 saw the approval of an act for enhanced pedestrian safety and in 2011 Ford started researching what sounds drivers would most prefer to warn pedestrians of their approach. The proposal requires a sound audible over city noise to speeds up to 18 miles per hour.

"Our proposal would allow manufacturers the flexibility to design different sounds for different makes and models while still providing an opportunity for pedestrians, bicyclists and the visually impaired to detect and recognize a vehicle and make a decision about whether it is safe to cross the street," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.

Now that the proposal is officially submitted, the public has 60 days to submit comments regarding the impending action by the NHTSA. This can be influential on the final regulation language and requirements to manufacturers.