Jun 17/08 )- As we approach the point where electric cars will see a huge increase in popularity; people need to be aware of the fact that is that as it stands right now, these vehicles are pretty much silent weapons of death and destruction. |
Why is that you ask? It's the silence. Electric cars make little or no noise.
Now think of how you currently handle traffic as a pedestrian or cyclist. You 'look both ways', hopefully...but chances are that you also rely on auditory clues to warn of approaching vehicles.
I thought of this the other day while walking around the corner of an underground parking garage. Since I heard nothing, I assumed no car was approaching - a perfectly safe assumption. Now. But what if there was a chance that a silent vehicle had been approaching around that corner? The result would have been messy!
People are totally accustomed to using sound as an indication of the presence and approach of vehicles. If we start having silent cars on our streets, we are going to see a huge increase in cars hitting pedestrian and cyclists. It will be bad enough for everyone - but now imagine the effect on the blind and visually impaired? They would face huge risks with silent vehicles.
Luckily others are aware of the problem. In fact in the USA, there is currently a bill before Congress that seeks to set minimum noise levels for cars.
This is a no brainer and should be passed. Artificial or not, electric cars need to make noise to save lives.
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