Hybrid and electric vehicles are gaining in popularity and are becoming a symbol for the environmentally conscious consumer. However it isn’t all good - blind people have started to criticise the technology.

The problem is that at low speeds, electric and hybrid cars make virtually no noise. This means that they pose a hazard to blind people who rely on their ears to determine when a road is clear of traffic and therefore safe to cross.

A group of blind people ran some informal tests in conjunction with the Blind’s Committee on Automotive and Pedestrian Safety whereby they ran several hybrid cars past blind people who were stood on sidewalks on in parking lots. The blind people were asked to signal when they heard a car drive past them - some cars did several laps of the parking lot, or ran past the sidewalks several times and were not once heard by the blind people.

Whilst they are not advocating the ban of hybrid or electric cars, it would be a worthwhile idea to add some element of noise to these cars as they move. The NFB have already petitioned for minimum sound levels to be incorporated into all hybrid and electric cars but they have met with little success soar. The Maryland chapter of the NFB are now planning to write to the state again to request that minimum sound standards be included in hybrid emission regulations.

Audio devices are relatively inexpensive and should they become compulsory, they should not add to the price of the car. However there are those that are against the noise solution, believing that the addition of an audio device would expose millions to excessive noise pollution and would not be a practical solution.

It should also be noted that it isn’t just the blind who are affected by the quiet running of hybrid and electric cars - some pedestrians can be unaware of slow moving hybrid vehicles thanks to their virtually silent running.

Whether adding an audio device would be a good enhancement to hybrids is debateable, but whatever the outcome, it appears to be a valid issue that needs to be researched in the near future.

Popularity: 21% [?]