Hybrid cars are a menace!

Jstas

http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=510106

Boy hit by hybrid car; mom says he didn't hear it coming



It was something that had never occurred to Jane Flannigan, until she got the call Sunday that her eight-year-old son had been hit by a car while biking with a friend.

Owen Erickson was not badly hurt, though he did end up on the hood of the car. But when the car's driver moved his Toyota Prius from the street to the curb, Flannigan noticed something. "I saw the car, but I could not hear anything," she recalled about the hybrid vehicle which was operating on battery power at the time. "It is totally silent."

That's when it dawned on Flannigan, Owen never heard the Prius before he cut in front of it. "Bikers, runners, anybody out on the street, I think it's a huge safety issue," she said.

She's not the only one. Last month legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representative that could eventually require hybrids to emit a minimum amount of noise.

It's a priority piece of legislation for the National Federation of the Blind, which believes Hybrids pose a real threat to those who rely on noise from cars to keep themselves safe.

"These quiet cars that are very difficult to hear in the normal flow of everyday outdoor activity play a safety hazard," says Jennifer Dunnam, president of the NFB's Minnesota affiliate. "Blind people depend on their hearing to know what the traffic is doing."

Toyota has not taken a position on the legislation, but is aware of the concerns behind it. "We do have to step back and take a look," said John Hanson, Toyota's national manager of environmental, safety and quality communications. The Prius ranks third among Toyota models in sales, behind Camry and Corolla, according the Hanson.

Flannigan doesn't blame the driver of the Prius for running into her son, since Owen biked out in front of his car but she does cut her son some slack. "We're conditioned to hear car noises," she says. "This is a big safety issue."

Face

Like I've always said, "loud pipes save lives".

Joe08867

Face wrote: »

Like I've always said, "loud pipes save lives".

Amen Brother....:cool:

petrym

This is a case of dumb-kid-not-looking... I can see the aftermarket now: Polk Speakers emitting a Ferrari growl on Hybrid cars - you read it here first.

BaggedLancer

Easy fix:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fake-Turbo-Sound-Muffler-Exhaust-Pipe-Whistler-Whistle_W0QQitemZ220190621031QQihZ012QQcategoryZ418QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

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:rolleyes:

obieone

I smell a lawsuit brewing. And a settlement. AND more regulations on vehicles THEY can barely get out of the factory to meet demands.
Nice try, tree huggers. Better luck next time.

bobman1235

Tree huggers, or people smart enough to realize gas prices aren't coming down any time soon (or ever)....

SKsolutions

It's never. A downward sticky.

madmax

I drove a hybrid rental and they are very quiet when the engine is off. Duh... A family I almost ran over said they didn't hear the car. I think they should either attach a plastic card to the wheel spokes like kids used to do to the bikes or require music be played at high volume at all times.. That would fix the problem.
madmax

F1nut

There are a lot of non-hybrid cars that are very quiet when running/driving. About the only noise they make is from the tires, so I'm not buying the hybrid cars are a menace BS. In fact, I wish they make it a law that all motorized vehicles be quiet. Enough of the noise pollution.

Airplay355

I like the loud music idea...

"If you hear me before you see me I got king kong in the trunk"

disneyjoe7

I can see it now fake "Engine Noise" while in Hybrid mode.

Strong Bad

My (non-Hybrid) Accord is quiet. I have people that just walk around in front of me in parking lots and don't move. Well, either they don't hear me or they are complete retards and don't know that getting run over can hurt pretty bad. Sometimes i'm tempted to do society a favor.

Runners need to stay the f*** out of the street anyway. Run on the sidewalk or go find an effing path somewhere. I can't tell you how many times over the years I've almost crunched some **** running in the street.

ViperZ

What's the problem? All they need is a giant **** can that ricers use.

Face

ViperZ wrote: »

What's the problem? All they need is a giant **** can that ricers use.

How will that help when it's running on battery power?

bobman1235

ViperZ wrote: »

What's the problem? All they need is a giant **** can that ricers use.

I don't think you quite understand the concept of the hybrid.... or maybe the concept of what an exhaust pipe is exhausting is what's confusing you...

DAGLJAM6

It's a shame but people ,in general, are lemmings.....and the feds love it. We live in a society that has to have a "Safety Label" on everything we can't be responsible for our own actions and continually blame someone or something else.

markmarc

My aunt has been blind since birth, and her hearing quite acute at 77. She doesn't believe in the need for legislation. Instead, one needs to listen for the tire sound.

sucks2beme

Maybe something like a deer whistle?
http://www.sav-a-life.com/Deeralert_intro.htm?gclid=CKS02-b9mZMCFRvOIgodNyDerA

Maybe I could get rich selling people whistles.:D

Jstas

F1nut wrote: »

There are a lot of non-hybrid cars that are very quiet when running/driving. About the only noise they make is from the tires, so I'm not buying the hybrid cars are a menace BS. In fact, I wish they make it a law that all motorized vehicles be quiet. Enough of the noise pollution.

I was being sarcastic with the thread title.

Jstas

sucks2beme wrote: »

Maybe something like a deer whistle?
http://www.sav-a-life.com/Deeralert_intro.htm?gclid=CKS02-b9mZMCFRvOIgodNyDerA

Maybe I could get rich selling people whistles.:D

I already got one of those. I call it "my horn". Got a big button in the center of the steering wheel with a little picture of a bugle on it! It's cute!

shadowofnight

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

I can see it now fake "Engine Noise" while in Hybrid mode.

Of course that will be an option you have to pay more for......:)

66chevyIISS

HAHAHA this is a call for BUBB RUBB! The whistle GO WOO WOO!

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