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posted by martyb on Wednesday November 16 2016, @03:51PM   Printer-friendly
from the fake-engine-noises-FTW-Vrrrm-Vrrrm! dept.

A US road safety body has demanded that electric cars travelling at low speed make a noise to warn pedestrians.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the rule was needed because battery-powered vehicles are very quiet.

It said the rule would particularly help blind pedestrians, or those with a visual impairment, detect electric cars and hybrids on the road.

The new safety rule could help prevent 2,400 injuries a year, said the NHTSA.

The rule demands that the cars make a noise when travelling either forwards or backwards at speeds of less than 30kmh (19mph). The regulation covers vehicles with four wheels that weigh less than 10,000 pounds (4.5 tonnes).

The safety specification requires car makers to use a two-tone signal similar to that currently emitted by heavy vehicles when they are reversing.

It would be more fun if drivers could customize what that sound is, such as "La Cucaracha" or the whine of a Shadow vessel.

Electric and hybrid cars are to include a noise generation device for travel at low speeds with no internal combustion engine: http://www.nhtsa.gov/About-NHTSA/Press-Releases/nhtsa_quiet_car_final_rule_11142016.

There goes my quiet electric future.


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  • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday November 16 2016, @05:40PM

    by nitehawk214 (1304) on Wednesday November 16 2016, @05:40PM (#427634)

    And how many of those 2400 injuries would have happened anyhow even if the car sounded like a freight train? People are dumb.

    I sneak up on people at intersections all the time in my 6 cylinder suv. Its a Honda, so its quieter most other cars in it class, but seriously how can you miss this thing?

    Its a matter of eye contact. If a pedestrian does not look directly at you, assume you are invisible.

    For pedestrians and cyclists, assume you are invisible even if a driver DOES look directly at you.

    --
    "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by bob_super on Wednesday November 16 2016, @05:51PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Wednesday November 16 2016, @05:51PM (#427643)

    > Its a matter of eye contact. If a pedestrian does not look directly at you, assume you are invisible.
    > For pedestrians and cyclists, assume you are invisible even if a driver DOES look directly at you.

    How can they look directly at the driver, through his giant cell phone?

  • (Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Wednesday November 16 2016, @07:18PM

    by maxwell demon (1608) on Wednesday November 16 2016, @07:18PM (#427699) Journal

    For pedestrians and cyclists, assume you are invisible even if a driver DOES look directly at you.

    Pedestrians and cyclists can also be damn quiet. They should be required to make a sound when going below 19mhp, too.

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    • (Score: 2, Informative) by DeathElk on Thursday November 17 2016, @04:40AM

      by DeathElk (4834) on Thursday November 17 2016, @04:40AM (#427960)

      Pedestrians and cyclists can;t crush you to death in an instant.

      • (Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Thursday November 17 2016, @07:48AM

        by Scruffy Beard 2 (6030) on Thursday November 17 2016, @07:48AM (#428015)

        You are more likely to survive collisions below 40km/h (23MPH) anyway.

        IIRC, it is an 80% survival rate.