Are Hybrid cars a danger to the blind and to children because they are so quiet?
By Cars & Motorcycles on Dec 08, 2008 with Comments 8
notadummyrat asked: I didn’t buy one for this reason. We have lots of little kids in our neighborhood. I couldn’t think about buying a car that made no noise while going down the street. I believe when Harley drivers say “loud pipes save lives” they are right.
Filed Under: Hybrid Cars
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I agree, it’s a danger to them. I don’t recommend buying one in a neighborhood like yours, but if you’re going to use it for night rides when no one’s usually up, it’s a nice car to use… I still don’t recommend it though.
Parents are the danger to their kids for allowing them to play in or near the street.
I guess you won’t be buying a car in the future. When the hydrogen fuel cell cars come out, they will be even quieter as the drive train will be all electric.
Cadillac’s, Lincoln’s and Lexus along with nearly all other high end luxury cars are nearly silent too. How come people haven’t been complaining about these?
The goal is to eliminate all vehicles that run on fossil fuels. These new cars will be quieter.
Just goes to show, some people are never satisfied. They complain if they are too loud, they complain if they are too quiet. They complain if they pollute, they complain if they are too clean.
Thank a Vet for your right to complain.
in my opinion, no matter how noisy or how quit your car is or will be, if the the driver is careless enough the car will never be safe or in its opposite. Thats why there are drive and other tests before you can get a license and traffic signs and sidewalks for the safety of the driver and the others.
I have been a kid, so i know it doesnt matter if your car is quiet or loud when we’re preoccupied playing. But i’ve never been blind, so i don’t know if it will be dangerous for the blind.
What really matters is to drive really careful in those neighbourhood, watch your surroundings for any possibilities like kid running to the street or blind crossing the street, or even i-pod junkies that might not know you’re behind them.
If you prefer noisy car, just turn on your stereo. I personally prefer the efficiency of hybrid, or maybe EV when i can get one.
They’re no more dangerous than many new cars that are incredibly quiet. I’ve ridden a bicycle 2,000 miles a year in a rural area for years and I’m very familiar with how quiet they can be. If it weren’t for tire noise I’d not know they’re behind me. In a residential area at slow speeds this may be more of a problem than on a rural road. Hope you bought an American car.
Hybrids are quiet, but they’re not silent. You can still hear them coming, particularly when you’re used to relying on your hearing as the blind are. Really this is not an issue. As with any car, a safe driver will not have a problem avoiding kids or blind people.
To put it simply, almost all new cars are dangerous for drivers because they are usually well insulated and much quieter than they used to be. What you usually hear is the sound of the tire rolling on the road, not the engine.
Hybrids are even quieter when the ICE is off, but that is because they tend to use low resistance tires. They do not, however, make no noise whatsoever.
There may be some danger when you are stopped at a light or a crosswalk or something, since a blind pedestrian may not realize you are there without the sound of an engine. If you were to start moving when they didn’t realize you were there, you might startle them.
Choosing not to buy a car because it’s too quiet isn’t making a good choice. Kids will run out in front of your car not because they didn’t hear it coming, but because they are kids. It is an issue for blind people, but then, so are a majority of new cars.
Resource Guy…
My! I looked for fuel cell car pages and found your battery is good ” Blog Archive ” For the first time allowed … today…Sunday Ok I know I am confused, but doesn’t this site say pretty much the same?…