Comments on: Artificially-loud electric car rules proposed to boost EV safety

By: Richard Tietjens

Richard Tietjens — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:56:00 +0000

Half the people I see walking down the street are wearing earbuds (and 100% of those are the preteen-to-mid-twenties “I’m immortal” crowd). You could put a 150dB air raid warning siren on a car and they wouldn’t hear it. I have an alternate proposal: require a flashing strobe on the front of the car, and colored ones on the sides, similar to boat and airplane marker lights. If you’re going to pass a stupid law, at least try to be consistent with regulations that already exist.

Go here to comment on this proposal: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Contact

By: Roadrash

Roadrash — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:19:00 +0000

I agree with this new regulation. Frankly it should been though of while ago when the EVs started appearing. Sure people should be aware of their surroundings, but this isn’t a perfect world. Laws usually slant towards the guy walking than guy driving.
Silent Car can be dangerous if driver isn’t careful as well. Its crowded road.

By: Chris Castellano

Chris Castellano — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:27:00 +0000

One thing I love about my prius is the fact that it is sometimes silent. This idea annoys me.

By: Me

Me — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 06:53:00 +0000

I think its mostly for the blind.

By: pepee63

pepee63 — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 02:26:00 +0000

For the safety of everyone, bicycles and cars should not share the same space. Here in Melbourne Australia, there are heaps of bike lanes. The bike lanes that are not near the roads have yet to have a death on them. Conclusion, keep cars and bicycles away from each other.

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 02:21:00 +0000

Are you so stupid to think that cyclists are less aware than drivers. If you cycled you would know that you have to be more aware because they let any moron get a license. I am not saying all drivers are stupid but they tend to reflect the larger population such as yourself. Maybe only 95% are morons.

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 02:15:00 +0000

What a stupid fucking idea. How about teaching our kids and perhaps the moronic adults also to take some responsibility and fucking look before the cross the road.

By: cliff_dangers

cliff_dangers — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:48:00 +0000

Do you really need to hear them? Do you not do a shoulder check when moving over or look both ways when entering into a street? If not, then you deserve what you get. This kind of thinking and “advances” in society are really putting a damper on Darwinian rule. Too many people, who otherwise would not be here, are being artificially supported.

By: willied1029

willied1029 — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:22:00 +0000

Could we get a source for that last statement?

By: willied1029

willied1029 — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:21:00 +0000

Possibly maybe.

By: Adzze

Adzze — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:16:00 +0000

This ^

By: pepee63

pepee63 — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:33:00 +0000

Easy fix. Keep bicycles and pedestrians off the bloody roads. Have bicycle lanes just off the side if the road next to the foot paths. If they still get run over, then that’s their fault. You can’t protect the dumb.

By: michael sinor

michael sinor — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:08:00 +0000

Little of both?

By: michael sinor

michael sinor — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:07:00 +0000

or a lawnmower

By: michael sinor

michael sinor — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:05:00 +0000

Sadly, people aren’t willing to do that. People for the most part are utterly incapable of personal responsibility. Until that changes and we hold people responsible for their own actions, we can go ahead and put a strobe light and vibrator on the car. Doesn’t hurt anything right? Might save lives…..

By: Good ol' JS

Good ol' JS — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:04:00 +0000

Make it sound like Fran Drescher laughing. Even deaf people will get out of the way.

By: DjonaM

DjonaM — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:03:00 +0000

THANK YOU!!! I hate sneaking up on people (and the odd dog) in my Volt. And that weird manual chirping noise it makes never seems to register to anybody that it’s a car – nobody ever looks. It should be a nice constant sound. I’d vote for the Jestons car sound, too.

And for anyone who thinks silence is golden, a blind pedestrian will soon set you straight. Electric vehicles have already surpassed ICEs in collisions with the visually impaired.

By: Phil Middlemass

Phil Middlemass — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:38:00 +0000

I’d like the idea of a noise sound system used that you can configure and deploy different engine types/car sound profiles, imagine a Nissan Leaf with the engine sound profile of a Bugatti Veyron!

By: jacrosse

jacrosse — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:35:00 +0000

They could install a combustion engine in the trunk to generate the car sound without draining the battery. What a great idea!

But seriously, isn’t quieter cars one of the major perks of EV’s? people don’t hear anything anyways because they are on their phones.

By: dougscrubjay

dougscrubjay — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:23:00 +0000

Solution in search of a problem. One of the many benefits of electric cars is the decrease in annoying vehicle noise in dense urban neighborhoods. Now if they could prevent car doors from slamming at 2 in the morning or alarm activations that honk the horn, maybe I could sleep at night.

By: David Seamon

David Seamon — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:22:00 +0000

Or the bongo-like noise of the Flintstones’ car

By: willied1029

willied1029 — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:11:00 +0000

Do they? Or do they just destroy everyone’s hearing?

By: Silence Is Golden

Silence Is Golden — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:09:00 +0000

Here is an idea: Be aware of vehicles when you are near streets and garages.

By: Don Spurlin

Don Spurlin — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:00:00 +0000

loud pipes save lives.

By: ddh819

ddh819 — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 18:57:00 +0000

please let the sound be like the Jetsons