
Hybrid Cars May Include Fake Vroom for Safety - chuck_taylor
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/automobiles/14hybrid.html
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quant18
_"One possibility is choosing your own noise,” said Nathalie Bauters, a
spokeswoman for BMW’s Mini division._

I sooo look forward to hearing hybrids rolling down the street broadcasting
horrible pop tunes in the form of simulated engine noise.

And of course I also await with bated breath the automobile version of the
Camera Phone Predator Act: [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-
bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR00414:@@@L...](http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-
bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR00414:@@@L&summ2=m&);

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DanielStraight
Or you could just actually pay attention while driving, and, if walking, look
both ways before crossing the street.

When will people realize that responsibility is more important than safety
features? There's a great quote from House: "If you want people to drive
safer, take out the airbag and attach a machete pointed at their neck." No
sane person would ever drive such a vehicle in any way that even resembled
dangerous. No one would likely exceed 5 mph, and no one would be killed in car
accidents (except accidents involving the machetes of course). Almost all car
accidents are preventable. The only ones that aren't are probably those that
involve mechanical failure. If your brakes go out, you're pretty much screwed,
but almost everything else is in your control. You can't control what other
drivers do, but they should be taking responsibility too.

Just the other day, there was a 5 car pileup on the interstate near where I
live. The only way that can possibly happen on a 3 lane interstate is if
someone was following too closely to the person in front of them. Simple rule:
If you aren't at least three seconds behind the person in front of you on the
interstate, you are endangering their life and your own. If everyone was
obeying that simple rule, there is no way the accident would have happened.
Almost all accidents at intersections are either the result of someone not
knowing the rules of right of way or not caring / paying attention. These
accidents are also completely preventable.

~~~
evgen
> Or you could just actually pay attention while driving, and, if walking,
> look both ways before crossing the street.

Yeah, tell that to the blind people who have almost no chance of knowing that
a hybrid car is sitting at a corner waiting to make a left turn...

I do pay attention and watch what is happening around me and the closest I
have ever come to getting hit by a car was when walking through a parking lot
and having a Prius back out of a spot and almost run me over. I had passed the
car and noticed the driver but did not hear an engine noise that normally lets
me know I need to remember that car once I am past it. The driver of the Prius
was not paying attention at all. The only thing that prevented me from getting
hit was the fact that the car cleared the space it was backing out of just as
it tapped my legs and before I realized what had happened they were driving
away.

There is no excuse for a car in motion to be silent. None.

~~~
DanielStraight
Deaf people can't hear cars coming, but that doesn't mean they should have
bright flashing lights which are on all the time. Disabled people can't cross
the street as fast, but that doesn't mean cars should be limited to 5 mph to
ensure they can cross.

Aside from the fact that blind people are a small minority of the population
(blind meaning people who could not tell visually whether a car was on the
road; plenty of people who are legally blind could still make this
distinction), there are already other measures in place to prevent cars from
hitting blind people. Guide animals are available which can see hybrid cars
coming just as well as they can see gasoline-powered cars coming. Signs are
posted as warnings in neighborhoods where blind or deaf children are known to
live.

Furthermore, there are other solutions available. Crossings where this is a
concern can have small grooves cut in the road leading up to the crossing so
ALL cars make noise when coming through (ever hear a car going over a
drawbridge?). It is important to note that crossings where this is a concern
are a subset of all crossings and that crossings make up only a small fraction
of the surface area of the world's road systems. Maybe 1% of road surface is
crossings where blind people need to hear cars coming, but this suggestion
would add noise pollution to 100% of road surface traveled by hybrid or
electric cars.

In your parking lot example, I would add the rule that you should assume every
car with a driver in it is running and preparing to move in much the same way
that you should assume every gun is loaded and treat it as if it were _even if
you know it's not_. Also, I frequently walk behind cars I know to be running.
I am cautious but I am also somewhat relying on the driver seeing me. No
amount of safety measures will stop stupid people (like the driver you
encountered) from being dangerous. A driver can just as easily gun it going
backwards (thus giving people no time to react) in a gasoline car.

Finally, there are edge cases where cars making noise makes them more
dangerous. Noise draws attention. If you're driving through a particularly bad
part of town, you may not want to draw attention. Passing through without
making a sound may increase your safety. If you leave your hybrid running
(accidentally or intentionally) for a short time, a potential thief might not
know it and therefore might not try to steal your car. With a gasoline powered
car, they will always know it. The point is that edge cases are just that:
edge cases.

There is no inherent reason why cars should make noise. None.

~~~
nfnaaron
The traffic and pedestrian system has grown organically into what it is now.
That includes cars that make noise, and that fact is taken into account when
we learn to be pedestrians in the traffic system.

So we have a system with noise as part of an evolved safety system, and now
we're going to randomly sprinkle ninja juggernauts into the mix.

No, cars don't have to make noise. Unless they're going to coexist with the
current system and its users. I certainly don't think municipalities should
have to cut (and maintain) grooves in crossings, and blind people should have
to get dogs when none were needed, merely so cool kids can go "whoosh!"

I'm not blind, but I'm sure going to feel endangered when most cars are silent
and we still mix pedestrians and cars the way we do now.

Not only should cars be required to make noise, but the noise should conform
to traffic safety regulations, similar to how headlights and brakelights must
conform in their way.

Edit: I don't think unregulated "ring tones" should be allowed, but if they
were, man I would feel so cool going down the road as my car cried out "Bring
out your dead! <clang> Bring out your dead! <clang>"

~~~
DanielStraight
You make some good points, but the purpose (if it can even be called that,
since it's more an absence of noise than a presence of silence) of silent cars
is not just so "cool kids can go 'whoosh'". Noise pollution is a serious
problem. Not as serious as transportation system safety, but still serious.

