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Lee Koo
Community manager |
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Do hybrid cars kill you with silence?
Dear CNET members,
Have you ever had the experience of having a hybrid car creep up on you
without you even knowing it? I have! And while there are plenty of hybrid
cars driving around in my area, it's still pretty eerie to me how quiet
these cars are at low speeds.
Well, apparently these hybrid vehicles are so quiet that it's reported
they are 37 percent more likely to hit pedestrians and 66 percent
more likely to hit cyclists than their gas-guzzling counterparts, because
folks just don't hear them coming. I'm wondering whose fault that is?
Car or pedestrian? Now I can just see the news stories in the near future:
"With more hybrid cars on the road, we drastically reduce our carbon
footprint, but we also manage to decrease our population." So, how
do you solve this problem?
Well, according to a recent blog from CNET blogger Chris Matyszczyk,
"Do hybrid cars kill you with silence," soon the National Highway
Traffic and Safety Administration will begin creating guidelines for
the minimum amount of noise a car engine can emit in hopes of
decreasing accidents! You heard right, making these quiet cars
generate noise so people will be aware of them. Isn't that just crazy?
Should we be blaming the car for being too quiet or should we be
blaming the people who don't pay attention to their surroundings? You
have to read this blog and when done, tell us what you think of
this issue.
Cheers!
-Lee
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