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>Federal safety officials expect to finalize rules later this year requiring all hybrid and electric cars to play fake engine sounds to alert passersby, a chang
by upofadown 12y ago
>Federal safety officials expect to finalize rules later this year requiring all hybrid and electric cars to play fake engine sounds to alert passersby, a change that experts estimate could prevent thousands of pedestrian and cyclist injuries.
Yeah, because those pedestrian and cyclists should be responsible for staying out of the way of badly driven cars... Just think how safe things would be if we cranked things up so loud that drivers could hear other cars.
- Mithaldu 12y agoThe worst part about that is that car noise is an actual ecological and "quality of life" threat, combated in many places by noise walls built around roads. Forcing cars to be loud is the worst possible decision that could be made.
- Sir_Substance 12y agoThe flip side is that modern cars can accelerate from the 5kph that they exit their driveway at to 50kph with no noticeable noise. I have almost been run over this way. Look to the left, no cars on the road, look to the right, no cars, look back to the left JESUS CHRIST. Hopefully automatic pedestrian detection will become standard in the next few years, but in the mean time I need to be able to hear your high speed death-ram when I'm not facing it. Perfectly happy for it to be something other than simulated engine noise, but I need an audible cue.
- abecedarius 12y agoI'm hard of hearing, and to first order I cannot ever hold a conversation in public in a city: outside it's cars, inside it's crowds and music. Once upon a time I looked forward to electric cars taking over; now I expect this regulation to persist long after there are good other solutions for safety.
- Coincoin 12y agoAlso, companies will try to differentiate their brand using this fake sound. So we will go from a mostly-bassy-white-but-still-annoying ICE noise to very specific and recognizable frequencies and tones that will make a misophonia sufferer want to kill themself.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- vacri 12y agoYou make it sound like it's only car drivers that ignore road rules.
- upofadown 12y agoOnly someone who strongly defined themselves by their method of transport would interpret the statement like that.
- vacri 12y agoI take it you've never been driving along and had a pedestrian absent-mindedly step into the road in front of you. That's the kind of thing that engine noise helps avoid. Read some of the other comments on this page. For what it's worth, most of my travel is on trams - not foot, cycle, or car. Thanks for the patronising comment, though.
- upofadown 12y agoThe sudden change of subject suggests that the patronizing comment was appropriate... We are not dissing your tribe... You don't have to be defensive...
- vacri 12y agoWhat tribe do you think I belong to? I was pointing out that anyone can be negligent. And seriously: "Yeah, I was being patronising, but don't be defensive about it"? If you can't handle being called on your own behaviour, don't do it to others.