A report last fall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that hybrid vehicles are involved with a higher number of pedestrian incidents due to their quietness. At low, parking-lot speeds, many hybrids can operate near-silently on electric power. New legislation now in development takes aim at this safety risk.
Last week, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, the National Federation of the Blind, and the American Council of the Blind sent letters to Congress to support the inclusion of requirements in new auto safety legislation that would add audible alerts to hybrid and electric vehicles, so that they could be heard—particularly to aid blind pedestrians.
As demand for hybrids and electric vehicles grow, manufacturers have been looking at the safety implications of these vehicles, which have no engine noise and run on battery power at low speeds. Well established, hybrids are part of a growing market segment led by the ever-popular Toyota Prius. Electric vehicles are ramping up with the Nissan Leaf coming soon, and the extended-range Chevrolet Volt hitting showrooms by the end of the year.
The noise requirement could be added to the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, which is being considered by Congress and could move through the House and Senate soon . The legislation would give NHTSA more resources and power in ordering recalls, and it would require new safety standards in vehicles such as event data recorders and a brake override feature.
The proposal would require NHTSA to enact rulemaking to mandate audible alerts within three years.
We've long been concerned about pedestrian safety related to silent-running hybrids and electrics. It's not only the visually impaired that are at risk but all pedestrians, including children, who may be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Requiring these vehicles to give audible alerts just makes good sense.
—Liza Barth
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