Another Study shows Hy-brids dangerous to visually impaired

What could possibly be bad about hybrid cars? They have phenomenal gas mileage, they have lower carbon monoxide emissions than a standard gasoline powered car and they’re becoming very affordable. Well Jana Littrell has a very big problem with hybrid cars — they’re too quiet. Don’t laugh, she’s quite serious. Ms. Littrell is blind and was injured when a hybrid car ran over her foot. Fortunately, Ms. Littrell was not injured, but she realized that while these cars may be good for the environment, they are not good for the over one million Americans who are legally blind.

Many hybrid cars, perhaps the most famous is the Toyota Prius, run completely on electricity if driven under a certain speed. When in this mode these cars make about as much sound as a golf cart. “There’s this silent-but-deadly zone where we cannot hear these cars,â€� said Bryan Bashin, a Sacramento management consultant. “We’re not just worried about blind people. It’s a hazard to pets, joggers, young children, cyclists, people who have their back turned. . . .â€�

An ongoing study at UC Riverside has complied data that quiet running hybrid cars may pose a risk to pedestrians. However, federal traffic safety regulators state there is no evidence that a pedestrian has been killed or seriously injured by an hybrid.

Auto manufacturers, states legislators and federal regulators are taking this issue seriously and are trying to come up with ideas on how to make hybrids “noisier.â€� “Vehicle safety and pedestrian safety are at the top of our list,â€� Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong said. “At this point, we’re trying to balance the needs of sight-impaired people with other sociological concerns such as noise pollution.â€� Toyota has experimented with adding sounds such as chriping or chiming; however test subjects did not identify these sounds with an oncoming car.

One proposed solution, for at least the interim, is to train guide dogs to visibly as well as audibly identify cars.