Noisemaker nonsense again

[Tideland Prius]

How 'bout a sub cranked up? lol. That's a noisemaker (to the older generation)

[fgp]

is it also true that prius tires make no noise as opposed to the average car?

[djasonw]

Anytime this issue comes up it annoys the heck out of me. I don't care if this is not PC but the Prius (or any other hybrid) should NOT have any type of noisemaker installed for the benefit of the blind. What about deaf people? Yes they can see, but they're more at risk than others if they're not looking properly! What about bicycles which can travel upwards of 25-30mph. Are we going to put noisemakers on those too? I did when I was a kid. Used to attach a playing card with a clothes pin to the rear wheel. Here is a simple remedy. All hybrids will emit a signal that will emit a sound ONLY when a blind person with a special receiver is within fifty feet of the vehicle. So you see, we're going to constantly be transmitting a signal that will create a loud sound ONLY if the blind person has their receiver on and is fifty feet away. Got it?

[fgp]

what was it? 1905 or so where a person with a red flag was to precede a motor car so as not to startle folks. may we should do that. its so nostalgic and it wont feel like another freedom being taken away.
fred from nashville

[mstrkoffee]

Originally Posted by fgp

what was it? 1905 or so where a person with a red flag was to precede a motor car so as not to startle folks. may we should do that. its so nostalgic and it wont feel like another freedom being taken away.
fred from nashville

I cant remember - pretty sure my grand parents were eggs at that point.

[donee]

Originally Posted by fgp

is it also true that prius tires make no noise as opposed to the average car?

What? Tires is tires bub. Ever hear some of these Acords, Camrys, Civics coasting around town, those things are at the same noise level as a coasting Prius as they approach. And I swear, the last time a new 2009 Yaris went buy me, it was quieter than a Prius approaching.

[V8Cobrakid]

i still think my car is rather noisy.. i kept thinking it's the inverter pump but it's not.. it's the electronic motor that controls the throttle valve.. it hums... i can hear that hum from probably 100 yards away. i can't say that for most cars.

[bredekamp]

Japan rethinks silent hybrid cars


"Paul Nolasco, a spokesman for Toyota Motor in Tokyo, told the BBC it had no immediate plans to add noise-making devices to the hybrid vehicles. "But if it becomes a social concern, it is something we will have to address", Mr Nolasco added"

[The Electric Me]

Originally Posted by djasonw

Anytime this issue comes up it annoys the heck out of me. I don't care if this is not PC but the Prius (or any other hybrid) should NOT have any type of noisemaker installed for the benefit of the blind. What about deaf people? Yes they can see, but they're more at risk than others if they're not looking properly! What about bicycles which can travel upwards of 25-30mph. Are we going to put noisemakers on those too? I did when I was a kid. Used to attach a playing card with a clothes pin to the rear wheel. Here is a simple remedy. All hybrids will emit a signal that will emit a sound ONLY when a blind person with a special receiver is within fifty feet of the vehicle. So you see, we're going to constantly be transmitting a signal that will create a loud sound ONLY if the blind person has their receiver on and is fifty feet away. Got it?

This is a difficult issue for me personally. Of course I don't like the idea of a noise maker attached to a vehicle. I certainly wouldn't want one attached to mine. That's why in my original reply I tried to approach the topic as a "personal responsibilty" issue.

Having said all that, and I do believe it, I'd say it seems some people are too defensive. The fact that there are deaf people, blind people and other moving objects that may or may not be as silent as a Prius doesn't change the fact that I don't feel it unreasonable to believe that perhaps if The Prius did have a auditory safety "sound" that it emitted, it might aide blind pedestrians in knowing the Prius was present.

Listen, I'm with you Prius Owners. But objectively what I hear, is when we aren't talking about the silence of The Prius in relationship to blind pedestrians or children and potential safety, then the silence is "golden". How many comments and threads contain glowing reviews of the silent operation of EV mode? It's even marketed as a plus of the mode. So you can sneak off to work in the morning without waking your neighbors...

But when someone says...It's too silent and poses a risk to blind people or potentially children...then suddenly it's "Leave Us Alone! The Prius isn't too silent, The World is too loud!" or "What about Deaf People!"

I do NOT want to "bell the Prius", my contention is that in a dynamic modern world, there is a level of personal responsibility for safety we should all take on, whether we are sighted, blind, or deaf. Whether we are driver or pedestrian. So that is the bottom line for me.

However, lets speculate that with a steady increase in alternative automobiles existence, either Hybrid or Full Electric. Could we accept that the virtual silence of operation COULD be an issue for a blind person? Who are we to say no? Right now the numbers seem to support that The Prius is no bigger risk than any other automobile. But what if that changes in time? What if the incidences of Pedestrian vs. Silent EV auto injuries increase? At what point if any do we say, perhaps auditory warning is not only possible but ethical and necessary?

I'm not sitting on the fence on this, but I find some responses almost unfairly defensive. To me the best argument against Noismakers for The Prius isn't to find exceptions to the rules, or point out other handicaps that inwhich auditory aides would make no difference. The best approach is simply to be honest. Yes, The Prius can operate and move in a manner that makes it quieter than "most" vehicles on the road. Silent operation is an advantage most owners want to maintain. Therefore it is important that as a Prius driver you ever be concious of the fact that those around you, may not hear you, may not see you. Drive to increase the safety of those around you in those incidences.

The best defense against an auditory noisemaker is to point out that The Prius is equipped with clear windshields, horns, brakes and hopefully attentive and competent drivers who realize that there automobile is "different" and utilize the before mentioned tools to keep the environment around themselves as safe as possible for everyone.

[donee]

Hi Electric...,

But all these vehicles have tires. And tires ARE the noisemakers, already on the cars. Your falling for the arguement that the Prius is silent. Which of course it most certainly is not. It has all sorts of burps, and beeps, and chirps besides the tire noise. Ever been behind a Prius backing up when the brakes are hit? Pretty loud those rear brake shoes being operated.

There is no difference in noise from an approaching Accord, to an aproaching Prius. Go out on the street and listen carefully. And the NTSHA data bears out this anectdotal observation - the Prius is just not killing people at any kind of strangely high rate. And indeed its not killing blind people at all, to date.

This is not defensiveness - its reality.

As far as backup beepers, I got no problem with that. Indeed, a retrofit mandate on ALL SUV's and Pickups of reversing beepers and rear view cameras is supported by the NTSHA data - and I would favor that, too.