Sound Alert Systems For Pedestrians Might Become A Requirement For Evs And Hybrids

By Author: Marty Bay
Total Articles: 413
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The NHTSA will soon propose a rule that would require EVs and hybrids to develop sound alert systems that will be used to caught pedestrians’ attentions and increase safety on the road.

The need for this rule was triggered by the rising concerns that hybrids and EVs that are currently included on the new car prices list of most car makers and offered for sale to new car finders are prone to accidents involving pedestrians.

As a matter of fact, a report made last April 2010 revealed that EVs and hybrids pose potential safety risks to pedestrians most especially to those who are visually impaired.

The main reason why EVs and hybrids that could be purchased and financed through applicable auto financing options might be considered as traffic risks is because these vehicles are quieter. Compared to conventional cars powered by gas engines, hybrids and EVs have quite electric motor that reduces the awareness of pedestrians of these vehicles’ presence.

In line with ...
... this issue, David Strickland who is a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administration (2011) emphasized the value of safety in his statement saying that “Even as we make giant leaps forward with hybrid and electric vehicles, we must remain laser focused on safety."

Strickland (2011) even continued emphasizing the need for the sound alert system rule by saying that “With more and more quiet vehicles on the road, we have to consider their effect on pedestrians.”

With these statement and commitment, the NHTSA in accordance with the law would probably write a specific standard for this issue by July 4, 2012. However, this proposal will require all EVs and hybrids to develop an alert system that would provide warning without requiring the driver to do anything to trigger the system.

Upon writing this rule, it would be subjected to series of deliberation and the final rule would be published in January 4, 2014. After this, car makers will be encouraged to comply with the rule and the vehicles covered are those that were manufactured in September of this year and the succeeding models.

Given this, there is a great possibility that all hybrid and EV manufacturers would issue recall orders in the future to install the alert system as soon as the rule is implemented in case they were not able to provide the needed alert mechanism on their vehicles that would be produced in September this year.