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Tagged with 'silent-car'

REPORT: Japan could require hybrids to emit sound

Published: July 4, 2009

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2010 Honda Insight - Click above for high-res image gallery Now that hybrid cars have taken the top sales spots in Japan for the last few months, that country’s Transport Ministry is reportedly launching an investigation to determine if it’s wise to require hybrid automobiles to emit an artificial sound when operating with the internal combustion switched off. The thinking is that hybrids may be more dangerous to the blind due to their quiet operation under electric power.


Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act introduced to protect the blind from quiet cars

Published: April 24, 2009

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2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for a high-res image gallery According to the newly-introduced Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, which was just introduced by U.S. Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), “New vehicles that employ hybrid or electric engine technology can be silent, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other.” For this reason, the aforementioned bipartisan bill would require that the government “conduct a study on how to protect the blind and others from being injured or killed by vehicles using hybrid, electric, and other silent engine technologies.” Companies like Lotus Engineering and Harmon International are already one step ahead of this legislation with products intended to add some extra sound to silent vehicles. Interestingly, it was just over a year ago that the last study into the dangers of hybrid and electric vehicles was started as directed by the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 , leaving us to wonder what progress, if any, has been made on the issue over the last year.


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