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Cars in the News: Hybrids are Too Quiet

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From LesleyB, Featured Contributor
Posted on August 20, 2008

When Lack of Noise Pollution Turns out to be a Problem

One of the nice side effects of hybrid and electric vehicles is that they are quiet. However, this turns into a negative for pedestrians, who might not be able to hear a car approaching at relatively high speeds. It particularly effects visually impaired pedestrians who rely on their hearing to cross streets safely. The California Legislature wants to do something about it, and in typical legislative fashion they've gone about it by passing a bill to set up a committee to study the issue and recommend ways that hybrids could increase the amount of noise they make. The bill is sitting on Governor Schwarzenegger's desk, and he has given no indication as to whether or not he'll sign it.

The first order of business should be for California to start documenting pedestrian accidents involving hybrid or electric vehicles. Currently the state doesn't track this, so there's no way to substantiate the need for this other than anecdotal evidence. It would be helpful to understand the size and scope of the problem before tackling a solution.

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• This Just In - Americans Love Their Cars a Whole Lot
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LesleyB is a featured contributor for vLane.