Craziest thing you have heard?

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by skyking

When you think about it Bob, adding noise would make is safer than the rest because the truck/suv data still sets the average high.

Until you look at the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) data and discover there is no 'there-there.' Based upon the number of Prius in the fleet, we should have just over five fatal, pedestrian accidents per year out of an annual death toll of 4,000. Here are the fatal ones I have a record:

• 2011/02/13 - bicyclist stopped in a traffic lane, not the bicycle lane to his right, on a raining night.
• 2011/02/11 - Pedestrian in motorized wheel chair drove into traffic on a freeway.
• 2010/09/03 - Pedestrian killed in crosswalk by hit-and-run, 26 year old Prius driver.

As a general rule, for every fatality, there are 3-5x injuries and I'm also tracking those reports. What I'm trying to find is evidence that Prius are killing pedestrians at a significant rate in environments where noise might have made a difference compared to the Prius population. Right now, the data is very thin and past analysis did not support the hypothesis that quiet Prius are killing pedestrians.

My personal feeling is the right answer is accident prevention systems (aka., radar and optical detection based) first for the hybrids including the Prius followed by general application for all vehicles. Making the Prius safer than gassers is the right answer as this accomplishes:

1. all accident avoidance - the same system that prevents a pedestrian accident also prevents vehicle accidents
2. makes all hybrids including the Prius significantly safer in the fleet, not 'just as dangerous'
3. reduces hybrid owner insurance costs

Hybrid owners are relatively immune to costs that scare off many other buyers. So use our understanding of price-performance trade-off to bootstrap the accident avoidance systems needed by all.

Bob Wilson

[dcb]

Unfortunately the accident avoidance system is largely the driver and attendent attention span and entitlement choices. If you are mashing on the pedal, mawing a burger, texting your lady from your 8 foot wide road hog, you are going to hit a few people.

Adding safety "features" to a car that already seems to have predominantly safe drivers won't really demonstrate anything.

[vtec-e]

1: Overinflated tyres WILL wear out in the centre.
2: Overinflated tyres WILL increase your braking distances.
3: Your car learns the way you drive and so by driving gently your car will never have any power.

[dcb]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

Sure you can. But some of them might self-destruct.

You say that like its a bad thing...
I was glad when my auto died, manual swap time!!

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by dcb

Unfortunately the accident avoidance system is largely the driver and attendent attention span and entitlement choices. If you are mashing on the pedal, mawing a burger, texting your lady from your 8 foot wide road hog, you are going to hit a few people.

Adding safety "features" to a car that already seems to have predominantly safe drivers won't really demonstrate anything.

I'm not so sure having looked at a lot of Prius accidents and compared the various systems that automatically apply the brakes. The Toyota system has optical, lane following, and radar, object detection. My reading of the accidents indicate that we are looking at 1/3d of these accidents might have been prevented or certainly lower impact velocities if the cars had the Toyota collision avoidance systems. To see what I mean and this is not for the faint of heart or those who can't deal with a deadly reality but this is what I've been tracking.

Bob Wilson

[bwilson4web]

To get back in the spirit of fun:

Seat belts cause deaths. - told to me in the late 1970s by an overweight, smoker explaining why the seat belt I just put on had candy and gum gunk on it that smeared on my slacks.

This led to Robert's rules of evolution:

• Voluntary seat belts, child seats, helmet, cigarettes and alcohol - how a free society culls the herd.

Bob Wilson

[tjts1]

They already have legislation in place that Hybrids and EVs have to have an outside speaker below a specific speed.

[dcb]

They also have legislation regarding handling of nuclear waste and breeder reactors.

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by dcb

They also have legislation regarding handling of nuclear waste and breeder reactors.

Oh thats cute. Why don't you start a new thread on that subject.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill...?bill=s111-841

[dcb]

my point is that legislation isn't a reason, or necessarily logical. And I WAS thinking of our previous discussion.