Vehicle Proximity Notification System (VPNS)

Discussion in 'Prius c Accessories and Modifications' started by Oldwolf, Jun 7, 2012.

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  1. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    I wonder how much sympathy the jury will have for an owner who disconnected the VPNS when the first lawsuit by an injured blind pedestrian goes to trial...
     
    #21 ftl, Jun 11, 2012
  2. SquallLHeart

    SquallLHeart The Techie Guy

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    what are you talking about?

    *plugs the VPNS speaker back in*..

    i don't see anything wrong.
     
    #22 SquallLHeart, Jun 11, 2012
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i don't buy that a hybrid backing out of a parking space is any quieter than a lexus or bmw etc. especially since the ice is at the opposite end from the ped.
     
    #23 bisco, Jun 11, 2012
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  4. Oldwolf

    Oldwolf Prius Enthusiast

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    My wife drove my C this morning to work. I stood outside just to hear what the VPNS sounds like. First of all, the sound doesn't start until after the car starts rolling. Secondly, it sounds like someone is playing all the keys on an electronic keyboard at the same time. I definitely am going to disconnect the plug.
     
    #24 Oldwolf, Jun 13, 2012
  5. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    I don't understand why anyone would disconnect a safety feature that you can't even hear from inside the car. Check with your blind friends and see what they think.
     
    #25 ftl, Jun 13, 2012
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  6. Iconn127

    Iconn127 Master Diagnostic Technician

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    they all want to be super spy like i spose. i personally cant hear it inside the car and i run in ev frequently.
     
    #26 Iconn127, Jun 13, 2012
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Toyota and Ford hybrids aren't silent. You can distinctly here the electric motor whine even if you're not at street level (I was up on very small hill on the tennis court and could still hear the RX400h drive by).
     
    #27 Tideland Prius, Jun 13, 2012
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  8. SquallLHeart

    SquallLHeart The Techie Guy

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    you should check with your deaf friends and ask them how they avoid vehicles... oh wait.. :cautious:
     
    #28 SquallLHeart, Jun 13, 2012
  9. Oldwolf

    Oldwolf Prius Enthusiast

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    I can hear it in my car.
     
    #29 Oldwolf, Jun 14, 2012
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  10. SquallLHeart

    SquallLHeart The Techie Guy

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    ditto.. i can hear it in my car too... even with the windows up.
    it's irritating to my musician ears... then again.. i guess that's what Toyota was probably aiming for... irritating..

    except it doesn't seem to work on ignorant/stupid pedestrians...

    even if it might work for the rest of them.. though.. most times.. the rest of them are smart enough to see my car.

    so in the end.. it's some safety.. liability crap.. that ends up being pretty much useless... but it's there.. just so Toyota said they did something..
     
    #30 SquallLHeart, Jun 14, 2012
  11. Ashley7

    Ashley7 Active Member

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    I still like the sound. *shrug*
     
    #31 Ashley7, Jun 14, 2012
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  12. AWDstylez

    AWDstylez 500hp to 99hp

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    Sounds like an electric motor noise to me. Not sure why it bothers people.
     
    #32 AWDstylez, Jun 15, 2012
  13. Oldwolf

    Oldwolf Prius Enthusiast

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    Because it is fake perhaps?
     
    #33 Oldwolf, Jun 15, 2012
  14. Ashley7

    Ashley7 Active Member

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    But why does that matter? If it sounds like an electric motor, and you originally enjoyed the sound, why does it matter if it's simulated?
     
    #34 Ashley7, Jun 15, 2012
  15. jgestar

    jgestar Junior Member

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    I'm bothered because it sounds like a video game, not an automobile. If a pedestrian doesn't realize that sound is a car, what is the point of a noisemaker?

    I suspect Toyota will recall the Jetson Noisemakers in a year or two. I don't think they meet this requirement of the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, "...an alert sound that is recognizable to a pedestrian as a motor vehicle in operation." Sec. 3. (a) (2).


    Tom
     
    #35 jgestar, Jun 15, 2012
  16. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    Next time my blind friend comes over I'll ask him what he thinks of the c's noisemaker.
     
    #36 ftl, Jun 15, 2012
  17. AWDstylez

    AWDstylez 500hp to 99hp

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    It sounds like an electric car, very similar to an all-electric train in fact. Had I never seen this thread, I would have thought the noise was real. I think they did a solid job. Would you prefer a fake ICE noise? Now THAT would be horrible.
     
    #37 AWDstylez, Jun 15, 2012
  18. Erikon

    Erikon Active Member

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    Well, the Prius must make some noise that non-oblivious pedestrians can hear without a noisemaker. When I go through parking lots people do turn their heads and look when I roll up behind them, if they're not on their phones! That reminds me of the time a guy walked right into the side of my old truck because he was on a cellphone... sigh!
     
    #38 Erikon, Jun 16, 2012
  19. Oldwolf

    Oldwolf Prius Enthusiast

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    I was able to get the plug off of the speaker finally. That's a small space to work in. Haven't had a chance to test drive it yet. Should be nice and quiet I hope, like my Gen 2.
     
    #39 Oldwolf, Jun 16, 2012
  20. cnmc

    cnmc New Member

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    Come on, who cares? What safety feature gets disconnected next? Airbags?
     
    #40 cnmc, Jun 19, 2012
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