(pedestrian) almost hit by Prius!

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by bennelson

I suppose we could also "smell" for oncoming traffic if it was waste vegetable oil. If you smell donuts or fries, don't step off the curb...

But as soon as we find a fuel that burns without a scent - it will be a bad thing worth resisting because how dare we require everyone to look where they're going

[Matt Herring]

I think the whole quiet car thing is a crock as well! But when you have something new (like EV's) everyone has their two cents. One kid gets hit by a Prius and all of the sudden their death machines. The government, special interest groups, etc...they all want their piece of the pie.

On the other hand, there have been alot of important safety measures taken based on a particular genre (children wearing helmets when riding bicycles, motorcycle helmets, horns in cars, braille on all public signage, crosswalk user-initiated buttons for safe passage). I think it's a good thing to at least have the safety discussion for all new products.

Did I play both sides of the fence there...sign me up for public office!

[The Atomic Ass]

I simply cannot hear most cars engines until they've passed me. Not that I have bad hearing, I have very good hearing in fact. But all I hear until they're nearly up to me is tire whine. Exceptions, of course, but they're usually in poor shape, or poorly designed as in the intakes of most truck motors.

[taco]

my camry makes almost no noise, i think the tires are the loudest unless it is wot.


people should look.

[Red]

In addition if some pedestrian has their ipod blasting it wouldn't matter what you are in, they are still deaf, dumb and locked in their own world

[Matt Herring]

bennelson...

right left right and left right left depends which way you are turning...but u made me think about it for a sec! right left right would be for a right turn since you would want to be looking right as u turned that way. if youre turning left into traffic youd want to make sure your left turn wasnt into an oncoming car. heck...go left right left right left right and youre prob in good shape!

[NeilBlanchard]

Hiya,

If electric/hybrids have to make any "extra" noise, it should be an engine sound, since this is what pedestrians expect, and it won't be annoying to the driver.

This won't stop bad drivers from blowing through right-on-red-after-stop, or keep driving when there is a walk signal.

[Duffman]

I always thought it was pretty simple, you watch where you are going, not where you have been. That said if you are crossing a street you are responsible to see if it is clear. Same for a car turning. People shouldnt have to be looking over there shoulder to see if they will be run down from behind, that is the responsibility of the driver behind as he needs to be looking where he is going.

[Formula413]

It actually caught me by surprise the first time I saw someone get into their Prius in a parking lot and begin driving away without hearing the engine start, even though I fully understood how the car's drivetrain operates and that there was nothing unusual about what I just witnessed. The chain of: door shuts / vroom / car moves off is very much ingrained in people's head. My head anyway.

[MetroMPG]

I recently read that the Volt will supposedly have a secondary "horn"/noisemaker the driver can switch on to alert pedestrians. It will be a 'non-automotive' noise though (at least until it gets associated with the Volt... if they actually build it ).

I plan to put a bicycle bell in the ForkenSwift. I've had a couple of occasions in parking lots where a pedestrian has walked in front of me, and I've just come to a stop and let them go by.

In those situations, I don't have the heart to beep the "regular" horn at close quarters and give them an aneurism when they turn and see a car RIGHT THERE.