Hybrid and electric vehicles may be the auto industry’s solution for more stringent fuel economy regulations, but they also pose a new threat. Because of their silent operation, hybrid and electric vehicles can pose a threat to surround pedestrians, prompting the introduction of new “quiet cars” laws.
Championed by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, the proposed regulations would require automakers to equip hybrid, electric and other silently operated vehicles with an audible warning to alert surrounding pedestrians. The proposal is expected to be attached to the proposed auto safety laws currently in front of Congress.
The regulations “will help to ensure the safety of pedestrians, especially those who are blind, as an increasing number of hybrid and electric vehicles are sold,” the National Federation of the Blind, American Council of the Blind said in a letter to Congress. The proposal would require “for an alert sound that allows blind and other pedestrians to reasonably detect a nearby electric or hybrid vehicle.”
If approved, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would begin writing the rules for the “quiet cars” legislation within 18 months, with the rules to be finalize within three years.
References
1. ”Quiet cars’ to…’ view
Source: Leftlane