Tweet
BALTIMORE (AP) - Hybrid vehicles are so quiet at slower speeds, blind people say they're a safety risk.
Deborah Kent Stein of the National Federation of the Blind says she's used to relying on sound cues to know when it's safe to cross the street or walk through a parking lot. But now, it's not that simple.
The federation conducted a test in which people standing in parking lots or on sidewalks were asked to signal when they heard several hybrid models drive by. Stein says even after the vehicle had done two or three laps around the parking lot, people were asking "when are they going to start the test?"
Officials at the Baltimore-based federation note they don't want a return to gas guzzlers. They say they just want the fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly hybrids to make some noise.
Deborah Kent Stein of the National Federation of the Blind says she's used to relying on sound cues to know when it's safe to cross the street or walk through a parking lot. But now, it's not that simple.
The federation conducted a test in which people standing in parking lots or on sidewalks were asked to signal when they heard several hybrid models drive by. Stein says even after the vehicle had done two or three laps around the parking lot, people were asking "when are they going to start the test?"
Officials at the Baltimore-based federation note they don't want a return to gas guzzlers. They say they just want the fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly hybrids to make some noise.
Comment