Personal Injury Blog

NHTSA Considering to Require Pedestrian Sound Alerts on Hybrid and Electric Cars

August 3rd, 2011
New Hybrid and electric cars might be required to have pedestrian sound alerts installed.

New Hybrid and electric cars might be required to have pedestrian sound alerts installed.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is finally moving forward with a proposal that Los Angeles pedestrian accident attorneys have strongly supported.  The agency is considering asking automakers to install pedestrian sound alerts on electric cars and other hybrids to alert pedestrians.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has posted a notice on its website, in the first step of a rule aimed at protecting pedestrians from cars that move noiselessly on the streets.  Electric cars and hybrids have become hugely popular recently because of their environment-friendliness.  One of the advantages of these cars that consumers have found very attractive is that they move almost noiselessly, emitting low noise levels as they travel, especially at low speeds.

However, these cars are dangerous to pedestrians, who may not be aware that a car is approaching them, or that they’re in danger of an accident.  Some types of pedestrians, like visually impaired pedestrians or children may be at an even higher risk because they can’t detect when a vehicle is approaching them.

According to some studies, cities that have high-volumes of electric cars and hybrid vehicles have higher numbers of pedestrian accidents.  In California, some of our beach cities have especially high pedestrian accident risks, because they have high-volumes of pedestrians as well as large numbers of such hybrid cars.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it’s very important to consider the effect of such noiseless cars on pedestrian safety.  The agency’s notice on its website is part of the requirements of the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010.  Under that Act, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is required to publish a final rule that will require noise alerts, and set standards for these by January 2014.  Some electric cars already have a system to warn pedestrians in place.  For instance, the Chevrolet Volt has such a warning system in place, but it is purely voluntary, and must be operated by the motorist.  This reduces the effectiveness of such systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is finally moving forward on the proposal.  It will be a while before a final rule is published, and before the standards for a safety alert as established.

In the United States, we have lagged behind in balancing pedestrian safety concerns with more advanced auto safety technology.  In Japan, automakers are currently required to install pedestrian sound alerts on their hybrid cars.  For instance, the Nissan Leaf emits a noise when the motorist puts his car in reverse, and also when the car is traveling at low speeds.  This can allow pedestrians, and especially visually impaired pedestrians, to hear the approaching vehicle.

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