Barky, the subject of the thread is added sound to EVs in order to assist the blind. They can’t use their eyes.
@the_same_mountainbike “Barky, the subject of the thread is added sound to EVs in order to assist the blind. They can’t use their eyes.”
nothing about blind was stated in the original post, refresh of post I saw pertinant,
“frequently in residential neighborhoods I come up behind bike riders or pedestrians in the middle of the road. They don’t hear my car and so they don’t move over. I could honk at them, but that startles them and they get angry.”
As quiet as so many cars are these days…
A lesson for all of us…
is to plan ahead just a tad more and give a slight peep on the horn further away as a warning if your moving over is not an option.
I’ve seen many big truck mirrors that drivers don’t plan right for…getting waaay too close too.
J.C. Whitney catalogues used to list a Bermuda Carriage bell. There were two models–one operated mechanically by a foot pedal and one operated electrically by a button. I don’t know if these are still available, but it might be a solutthis to this problem.
Well, the times I’ve seen cyclists fail to move to the right for cars behind them was not because they were electric cars.
I’ve often wished for a variable horn.
1 - '‘eh-em excuse me.’'
and
2- ‘‘GET OUTTA THE WAY !’’
( new product invention ? )
Fair enough, barky, but safety for blind pedestrians IS the reason artificial sound is being added to EVs. There have been numerous articles in the news on the issue.
I’m reluctant to comment on cyclists, because there’s fault on both sides. I’ve ridden on “club rides” with a*******s that acted like they owned the road, riders that I would never again ride with, and I’ve also had motorists come as close to me as they can for no good reason at all. Some cyclists seem to want to dare the drivers to hit them, and some drivers seem to feel bicycles have no right on the roadways. I’ve actually had one tell me that. Fortunately, these are a small minority in both groups. Unfortunately, both are dangerous and unnecessary.
The worst was a crazy lady who was darting in front of cars and swearing at the drivers. She was a true “work of art”. Fortunately, that was a one time event.
Same,I love bicycles,but stopped my limited riding because of safety issues,the distraction factor is so great now"Bump!-What was that Buffy?Wow,like all the traffic is stopped behind me,maybe I better go back and see whats going on"Anyway you get the idea,there are a lot of brave bicycle riders out there(some with amazing ability) but I get real nervous,when I see bicycles mixing with traffic at busy intersections
And I’m glad someone gave me a one up on the beeping traffic signals,hard to believe ,but My Dodge Dakota is so quiet a low speeds,people and game often times dont hear it,maybe there can be a tire engineered with a low speed(low level) acoustic warning built in,most tires are noisy enough at speed.Or maybe a clicker thats only audible at lower speeds(taken with the caveat,that most cars generate significant noise at speed.I know my Friends 4wd Electric Polaris ATV,is so quiet that its like riding a magic carpet.
That’s one of the major reasons I switched to mountain biking.
Interesting thought about the tires. Perhaps as cars become more aware of their surroundings, vehicle/pedestrian collisions will become a thing of the past. Perhaps this new technology will “flow down” to lesser vehicles, like so many other technologies have.
insightful: I always look as well as listen. My mail carrier drives a Prius. The only time I hear it is in Winter with studded tires.
ken green: Cars “diving” through the shop sounds very dangerous!
Rod Knox: No cicadas but every March the frogs exceed the OSHA sustained 85db standards. I don’t know why they’re so desperate? We really don’t need more frogs.
Sorry, but beyond a certain limit, quiet vehicles are a safety hazard. You can bemoan the “noise pollution” all you want: it’s a side-effect of choosing to live in an urban area, and better than the alternative. It’s similar to light pollution: can’t see the stars very well in an urban setting; that’s too bad. The safety offered by nighttime illumnation, however, is more valuable than the night view you lose.
MJ,I always thought the night lights helped the people out who werent supposed to be out at night.Modern Man has bad hearing now as a rule anyway,due to the various audio assaults.I like my solitude and when an inconsiderate neighbor moves in and installs an unshielded night light,polluting the night view,I’m very unhappy(if you are frightened and like town stay there-at least put motion sensor lights in) Blue clad burglar under a mercury vapor lamp is almost invisible,unless He is carrying a flashlight(usually not needed if has the “security light” to assist Him
A good friend of mine added sound to his first car. He recorded the sound of several drag races at the local track on his GE reel to reel tape recorder and played them back every time he pulled out of the local drive-in restaurant. I don’t think anyone actually bought the ruse, however, because his car was a pea green 1959 4-door Chevy with a 6 cylinder engine and “3 on the tree.” Besides…the little portable tape recorder did not have enough of a sound to get anyone’s attention. It sounded loud in the car but I really doubt if anyone outside the car heard a thing.
Probably I live in a town not representative of many. Sure there is the increase in red means yellow if you are close enough, Bicycling seems pretty safe, though I do travel wider 2 lane roads, but at many a 4 way stop there are delays due to drivers waving other drivers to go first, no you go, no you go, Kind of like Mayberry I suppose. Not complaining a bit.