[nfbwatlk] Fw: clean cars and noise

[Mike Freeman]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
To: <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 6:11 AM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] clean cars and noise


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Annapolis Capital - Annapolis,MD,USA
Wednesday, February 07, 2007

The trouble with clean cars

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

They're too quiet : Advocates for blind want sound added so they can hear
traffic

Clean cars might be great for the environment, but they aren't always great
for people who are blind.

Sure, blind people won't drive the cars. But they do rely on engine sounds
to determine traffic patterns and decide when it's safe to cross the street.

And clean cars often are just too quiet.

"Hybrid and electric cars can be dangerous for all pedestrians, but they are
particularly hazardous to the blind because we rely on traffic noise to
navigate
safely and efficiently," said Dr. Michael Gosse, an engineer who's president
of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland.

The federation has sent letters to lawmakers in Annapolis who are
considering adopting a clean cars program in Maryland.

The program would require more low-emissions cars to be sold in the state,
and would eventually require more gas-electric hybrids and other
alternative-fuel
cars to be sold.

The federation wants those environmentally friendly - and ultra-quiet - cars
to be built in a way that makes them emit some sort of sound.

Lawmakers said they understand the federation's concerns, but they aren't
sure what they can do.

Part of the trouble with the clean-cars legislation is that it doesn't have
a lot of room for changes. The federal government gives states two options
for
car emissions: the regular federal standards or California's stricter
standards.

The states have to take the emissions standards as they are, and can't make
substantial changes.

But Del. James E. Malone Jr., D-Baltimore County, said he thinks something
can be worked out before the clean cars law would go into effect in 2011.
Mr.
Malone is vice chairman of the House Environmental Matters Committee, which
is scheduled to vote on the bill tomorrow. A Senate committee could vote on
Friday.

If the bill passes, the Maryland Department of the Environment will have to
adopt regulations to put the emissions standards in place. That's where
there's
some room for tweaking, Mr. Malone said.

"I'm very sensitive to their issue," he said.

The issue of quiet cars is a big one for the blind community.

Leaders at the National Federation of the Blind can recite incidents
involving people - whether blind or not - who have been injured because they
didn't
realize a hybrid car was nearby, often in driveways or parking lots.

Last summer, federation members passed a resolution at their convention
making the issue a priority. The resolution called on the federation to
"raise
an
alarm" with automakers, lawmakers and regulators.

Dr. Gosse said he thinks manufacturers can come up with a fix without adding
much to the cost of a car.

Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said he'd
like more clean cars in Maryland, but he added, "Pedestrian safety must be
taken
into account when these vehicles are designed."

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/02_07-44/TOP
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