California "Bell the Hybrid" nonsense

[bwilson4web]

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10247496

Calif. lawmaker: Electric cars too quiet

The Associated Press
Article Launched: 08/19/2008 05:17:21 PM PDT

SACRAMENTO—Electric and hybrid vehicles may be good for the environment, but a California lawmaker says they're bad news for the blind. State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, is pushing a bill aimed at ensuring that the vehicles make enough noise to be heard by the blind and visually impaired when they're about to cross a street.

The state Senate approved the bill Tuesday on a 23-12 vote and sent it to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has not taken a position.

It would establish a committee to study the issue and recommend ways the vehicles could make more noise. The recommendations would be due by 2010.
. . .

It was only a question of time before someone in California offered the same nonsense. Feel free to cut-and-paste the facts and data:

www.regulations.gov - search
NHTSA-2008-0108-0020 - facts and data, accident data
NHTSA-2008-0108-0020.2 - back-over Chidester report
NHTSA-2008-0108-0022.1 - broken transcript, June 23 hearing

Folks in California need to 'curb your representatives.' I have a Google news watch and the first I heard of this was the article announcing the bill had passed and been sent to the Gov.

Bob Wilson

[thepolarcrew]

Put squawk boxes on your traffic lights to alert that cars are approaching. Oh wait, then you would need a committee to see if they shouldn't go on every corner.

Oh wait, just give the blind an instrument they can wear around their wrist to alert of incoming cars-bikes-pedestrians!

Don't your Reps in CA have more important things to spend their time on? When issues like this come to the forefront of the news, You know they have way too much time on their hands. Or maybe this is an excuse to sit on their hands when it comes to really tough issues(Energy-Enron syndrome). Oh look, we did this while we were in session!

Ah, We were the first to come up with this. Maybe that's the syndrome.

[Fraser]

Why would anyone be surprised at anything the California Legislature does, unless it were to accomplish something rational, like adjourn permanently.

[SBrine1971]

Shouldn't drivers be looking out for pedestrians seeing or blind? Putting a noise maker on electric or hybrid electric vehicles is about as rediculous as making cyclists ring a bell as they approach any pedestrian. If the non-sensical CA legistlature has it's way, then I say we drive a parade of Prius' past their homes/offices with ice-cream truck music blaring. Can you hear us now??

[redhandeddenial]

i vow from now on to play speed metal at obscene volumes at all times, just so the blind can hear me

[Mormegil]

I'd just like to mention that California is a pioneer in clean air laws. If it wasn't for these more stringent laws specifically in California, we might not have a car like the Prius in the first place (due to the laws on minimum Low Emmission and Zero Emmission vehicles).

Well at least until the Bush administration refused our waiver on the current EPA emmissions, allowing us to surpass it (as the EPA has 50 times in the past). (California is suing the Federal governemnt over this)


I'm not too happy with the noise thing, and wrote my Senator (now I need to write my state representatives). But we do have a LOT of Prii in California* - so if anybody should be worried about running over blind people, it should be California.

Besides, if the noise thing does take effect, it'll only be in cars sold in California. We have tons of cars with larger catalytic converters, or other modifications sold only in California to pass our more stringent Smog laws.

*I see about 20 a day on my 9 mile commute in Los Angeles.

[snowdog650]

I just lay on the horn whenever I drive the Priss. Doesn't matter if I'm in a parking lot, city street, interstate, or in a drive-in movie theater -- the horn is blaring so I can please my elected officials in Sacramento.

[Presto]

Originally Posted by redhandeddenial

i vow from now on to play speed metal at obscene volumes at all times, just so the blind can hear me

I'm already doing my part by blasting DragonForce wherever I go!

[briand]

This is the most ridiculous thing ever

Human echolocation is the ability of humans to sense objects in their environment by hearing echoes from those objects. This ability is used by some blind people to navigate within their environment. They actively create sounds, such as by tapping their canes or by making clicking noises with their mouth

I am quite sure most blind people can hear the hum of a car approaching.

[Rybold]

Remember Arnold said that he would not sign any bills for the rest of the year until the budget is passed ???

And how much would this "study" cost anyway? I say it's a no go. Arnold won't spend a penny on this nonsense.



(and btw, in the state of California, it's the DRIVER's responsibility to not hit pedestrians; it is NOT the pedestrians' responsibility to avoid cars)