Should hybrid cars be banned because they are a threat to the vision impared!?

Question

Apparently they are walking out in front of them because they can't hear them as they're extremely quiet.

Answer 1

Yes they should be. They are a hazzard on the road. Other drivers also can't hear them when they are in a blind spot....

Answer 2

A lot of cars are very quiet. But even still, there's wind noise, tire noise, and often the sound of various whirring pumps and gizmos on a car, besides the sound of the engine.

Walking the streets in NYC, its the "silent" bicyclists that are more likely to run you over (their noise is often drowned out by the city traffic) - so should cyclists also be banned because you can't hear them?

And what about the noise pollution caused by adding sound-making devices to such "silent" vehicles?

I've been driving down a "backroad" highway one morning and seen deer stop at the edge of the road, look both ways for cars, and then cross the road. I've had my engine running (hybrid Prius, or my other 'normal' car at the time, a Saturn SL2) when I was pulling into my previous apartment complex after work. Often I'd meet the school bus dropping off a bunch of kids (and I'd have to slalom between the idling minivans). It's scary the number of parents holding their children's hands that wouldn't look, and would dart out right in front of my car... The kids playing in the driveway/street unsupervised usually looked out for cars better than these parents...

Keep a good lookout for unattentive adults and children, blind people, and animals, wherever you are, whatever you drive. Pedestrians always have the right of way, no matter if they are sighted (and inattentive) or not.

Poor drivers should be banned. Not the vehicles.


As for the batteries themselves in hybrid cars:

The lead-acid (Pb-A) 12v accessory batteries in hybrids tend to be smaller than those found in every traditional gasoline vehicle. Recycling programs are in place for traditional lead-acid batteries.

All the hybrids on the market use NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries, which contain no heavy metals (so they're not hazardous waste, like the Pb-A batteries), and are easily recycled. Often they'll have labels on the packs themselves listing who to contact to recycle them, and often there's a nice cash bounty as well. (Toyota offers $200, but with the price of nickel these days you may do better at a scrap recycler.)

I suggest reading:
Battery Toxicity: http://www.hybridcars.com/battery-toxicity.html
Hummer versus Prius: “Dust to Dust” Report Misleads the Media and Public with Bad Science: http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integrity_of_science/case_studies/hummer_versus_prius.html
Prius Versus HUMMER: Exploding the Myth: http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Green_Car_News/Prius_Versus_HUMMER_Exploding_the_Myth.S196.A12220.html
Giving Directions: http://www.betterworldclub.com/articles/hummer-not-more-efficient.htm

Usually the mythic "article" from The Mail on the nickel in the hybrid cars' NiMH batteries is quoted from a now retracted article. The retraction that clears up this bit of misinformation is at: http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=417227&in_page_id=1770

Hybrid battery replacements are NOT all that common, and on some models very rare. (The hybrid battery is designed to last the life of the car.) In the US, the hybrid battery packs are usually warrantied for at least 8 years/80,000 miles and can be up to 10 years/150,000 miles, depending on model. Full warranty, NOT pro-rated.

Answer 3

hi, get comfortable... speaking for Toyota, there is an 800 extensive form on each and each nickel steel hydride battery (the single that gives you the potential to flow the Prius, Camry, or Highlander Hybrids) and that extensive form facilitates a man or woman to coach in that battery for a $two hundred bounty. the completed battery, basically like basically approximately each little bit of those autos, is thoroughly recyclable. in spite of the undeniable fact that, Toyota has yet to have a nickel steel hydride (NiMH) battery fail for the time of customary use. And the present record is over 360,000 miles on a Prius utilising the unique NiMH battery and hybrid equipment. it is not a typo, the rest you have got seen is an city fantasy. The alkaline batteries that folk use and throw out are a distinctive kind of battery than what's in autos like the Prius. The Hybrid Synergy force unit that Toyota developed is designed to maintain the NiMH battery in a mid-top fee variety, attempting to no longer impressive-fee it or, of direction, thoroughly discharge it. that helps a NiMH to final somewhat indefinitely. for sure, there will be some breakdown finally, yet between the best things regarding the Prius equipment, to illustrate, is the NiMH battery consists of 36 guy or woman cells. If one cellular is going undesirable, that is replaced and something stay. that's what's surpassed off whilst Toyota has torture examined the Prius in Alaska and dying Valley. working with Toyota, i understand approximately their commitments to recycling and our environment (Toyota's cyber web internet site lists environmental comments relationship back some years). i understand Honda has a reliable dedication to boot, i'm basically no longer familiar adequate to state what they do intimately. And Nissan makes use of the Toyota equipment, so the recycling application would desire to be an identical. previous that, there is Ford, stay sparkling of, and GM that at the instant have a hybrid of one point or yet another on the line. each and each makes use of a minimum of a generator and a few, like Ford, use a small NiMH battery additionally. i'm beneficial if each and each does not have a recycling application, write them and that they are going to initiate one. i'm uncertain which, if any, application each and each has in place. the different questions, be at liberty to touch me.

Answer 4

That's silly...

Besides, "Service Animals" are an effective, safe solution that: 1) already exist; 2) provide loving companionship.

One of my colleagues has a Service Animal, and that dog simply loves me (and ignores most everyone else).

There are far too many unwanted animals in this country that are abandoned or get destroyed. Sadly, most of these have the spirit and thus capability to be much more than the disposable items some folks seem to view them.

Answer 5

No. Vision impaired should be banned from walking out in front of quiet cars.

Answer 6

They shouldn't be banned. I'm sure that federal law, and the manufacturers can come to some kind of an agreement on how to best tackle the problem.

Answer 7

They seem just as loud as regular cars to me. They do have combustion engines. At any rate, if they're quiet, there's a simple solution: install speakers to make a droning sound effect. This way, when you're not looking, you can easily hear the car coming. All you need to do is generate noise, doesn't matter how you do it.

Answer 8

Just turn up the volume on the stereos in the car, and it won't' be no problem.. People that drive with no music on, is maniacs anyways....

Answer 9

I think they should sue the departments of transportation to force them to make talking sidewalks and streets.

Let's see how things go with Target's new website...

Answer 10

Yes, but not for what you are saying. They should be banned because of the toxic trash left behind from the batteries. They can't recycle the batteries because what they are made of. Environment friendly they are not.