http://www.leftlanenews.com/nhtsa-working-on-solution-for-safety-hazards-of-silent-vehicle-operation.html

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NHTSA working on solution for safety hazards of silent vehicle operation
04/16/2010, 10:27 AM
By Drew Johnson

After much debate, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has acknowledged that the quiet operation of hybrid vehicles may pose a threat to pedestrians. The NHTSA has been investigating the dangers of silent vehicle operation since 2008.

“A quieter fleet could potentially put pedestrians at risk, especially blind pedestrians,” David Strickland, the NHTSA administrator, said at the SAE World Congress on Wednesday.

“NHTSA is currently conducting a research program on quieter cars and the safety of blind pedestrians. Our analysis of limited data from 12 states shows that hybrid electric vehicles do have a significantly higher incidence rate of pedestrian crashes than internal combustion engines for certain maneuvers — like slowing or stopping, backing up, entering or leaving a parking space, and making a turn.”

The NHTSA is still formulating a solution for the potential danger of hybrid vehicles, but is considering a “base level of sound at low speeds to provide some level of identification to pedestrians that a vehicle is approaching.”

No statics on silent vehicle accidents are available, but groups like the American Foundation for the Blind and National Federation of the Blind argue that hybrid vehicles pose a threat to the 20 million Americans that are visually impaired, as well as to children and cyclists.