An unintended consequence

Monday, April 14, 2008 | 2:07 a.m.

Hybrid cars are quiet — perhaps too quiet, advocates for blind pedestrians say.

In a story by the Los Angeles Times, Jana Littrell, a blind teacher, said a Toyota Prius backed over her foot as she walked across a bank parking lot because she never heard the car.

The incident illustrates what some say is a growing problem as more quiet-running hybrids take to the road. When a hybrid is running at a low speed on full electric power — as it likely would in a parking lot or on a slow-paced residential street — the car sounds pretty much like a golf cart. That means that people who are walking may not hear a hybrid approaching and, figuring it is safe to cross a road, accidentally step into the path of an oncoming hybrid car.

Bryan Bashin, a Sacramento management consultant working with the National Federation of the Blind, told the Times that people who are blind aren’t the only ones at risk. “It’s a hazard to pets, joggers, young children, cyclists, people who have their backs turned,” he said.

No deaths or serious injuries have been linked to collisions caused by hybrids’ being too quiet, federal traffic safety officials said. Still, the issue is gaining attention from advocacy groups, lawmakers and automakers, the Times reports. One group is lobbying for legislation that could require the installation of noise-making devices on vehicles that run on electricity.

Those who own hybrids, however, aren’t keen on adding noise to their driving experience. The quiet hum of an electric motor is part of a hybrid’s allure, they say.

As with most new technology, some drawbacks and challenges emerge only after an item has been put into widespread use. We wouldn’t want to see automakers adding noise for the sake of noise. A better solution is for hybrid drivers to be more attentive and to acknowledge that their vehicles can create dangers for some of our most vulnerable travelers.