Death to pedestrians!

[CGameProgrammer]

It turns out the annoying pedestrian warning speaker can be disabled by just pulling a fuse. The car won't complain about the fuse and now the car remains silent, feeling like a proper EV.

 

[drdiesel1]

I would say you're opening yourself up to the possibility of a liability lawsuit by disabling the noise generator :roll:
If you hit someone while it's disabled, you could be royally screwed if they prove you disabled it on purpose.

 

[phil0909]

Excellent thread title. :lol:

 

[EldRick]

"Yes, your Honor, the Defendent posted a thread titled 'Death to Pedestrians' before disabling the warning system on his vehicle, which led directly to the death of this poor blind father of three."

Does it occur to you that perhaps this isn't such a good idea?

If it bugs you that badly, and you have to have the windows open, wear earplugs.

 

[CGameProgrammer]

The sound only occurs when below 14 mph anyway and people are quite easy to spot. I don't need the sound just like I don't need lane keep assist, proximity alarm, automatic braking, or any of the other driving assists for people who can't be trusted to drive safely themselves.

I have owned two hybrids and neither had such a sound even though both were silent (electric-only) at low speed.

By the way, Teslas do not emit any warning sound at all. They may be required to by 2019 but so far they've said they refuse to add the sound until they have to.

 

[roundpeg]

These low-speed noisemakers are there mainly as an aid to blind pedestrians, who are accustomed to listening for vehicle sounds to determine if it is safe to cross a street. They will become mandatory equipment on EVs and hybrids in future for a good reason.

 

[EldRick]

...I don't need the sound...

It's not about what You need, it's about someone else being able to tell your car is there, and not step in front of you.

If you do disable it, and injure or kill someone as a result, I hope they prosecute you.

 

[CGameProgrammer]

If any driver injures or kills someone then I sure hope they get prosecuted too. You guys are acting like the sound is required by law; it is not. Teslas do not have the sound at all, nor does the e-Golf. Also it's hard to kill someone at 10 mph.

 

[EldRick]

It will be required in two years. Meanwhile, lots of kids will dart out into the street chasing whatever and won't hear your car coming when they are looking the wrong direction...
Turning it off is irresponsible.

 

[michael]

If a silent vehicle is a problem, then there should be a required minimum noise level, and it should pertain to all cars, not merely to EVs.

I hate EV's being singled out for noisemaking...if it's REALLY a problem, then make the requirement apply to hybrids and quiet ICE cars. If not, then not.

 

[CGameProgrammer]

Is Tesla irresponsible for not having it at all? Is GM irresponsible for turning it off above 14 mph?

 

[EldRick]

Over 14mph, the tires make enough noise to do the job.

Is Tesla irresponsible on this one, I'd say Yes. Here's a real-life experience: https://forums.tesla.com/de_DE/forum/forums/pedestrian-alert-electric-carstesla

 

[CGameProgrammer]

That is the case of a driver being oblivious and not even looking directly in front of him when he started moving. By the way there are a lot of cars, including regular gasoline cars, that can not be heard in many circumstances when idling, or they have auto-off (such as hybrids) and are literally silent at a stop. Even if the car had a pedestrian warning sound, how would that help? The pedestrian would still cross because he was at a crosswalk and the car was stopped, seemingly waiting for him.

 

[roundpeg]

What is the argument in favor of cars moving silently at low speeds? Any car, EV or otherwise?

It isn't like we are talking about making them beep like a trash truck or roar like a leaf blower.

 

[michael]

I think it's irresponsible to put the life of a person at risk just because he's wearing earbuds and playing music at 120 dB. We should make all cars roar like a leaf blower when moving at slow speeds.

Unmuffled motorcycles may be exempted.

 

[sam]

It turns out the annoying pedestrian warning speaker can be disabled by just pulling a fuse. The car won't complain about the fuse and now the car remains silent, feeling like a proper EV.

If the noise generated is unreasonable pull the fuse

 

[michael]

Incidentally, the rule applies not to 14 MPH but to 30 km/h, approximately 20 MPH

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/quietcar_finalrule_11142016.pdf

According to this NTSHA report which quoted a study of auto/pedestrian accidents and included police estimates of vehicle speed:

https://one.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/pub/HS809012.html

In this study, more than half the accidents occurred with the vehicle speed under 20 MPH, but:

only 1.1% of the fatal and 19.4% of the incapacitating accidents occurred below 20 MPH.

Expressed differently, the serious injuries and deaths happen with the car moving above 20 MPH, no great surprise. So why so much focus on the less serious accidents?

The rule boasts that it will save:
...32 equivalent lives saved over the lifecycle of the 2020 model year vehicle fleet

Is there no better way to save 32 lives than by converting something quiet into something noisy?

In my neighborhood, it is commonplace to see idiots wearing fashionable black clothes to be out walking after dark. They are very, very hard to see. How about a law to require pedestrians to wear reflective, or at least light colored, clothing when walking after dark? NTSHA studies show the vast majority of auto/pedestrian accidents occur at night. How about addressing this as a first priority?


No.....let's all put in noisemakers.

 

[roundpeg]

If someone said to me, "did you know that one out of five fatal or incapacitating auto accidents occurs at speeds under 20 MPH?," I'd respond, "wow, that's a lot more than I expected."

 

[michael]

And your point is????

 

[like2bike]

Sure some ICE are quiet when idling but as soon as they start moving you'll hear them. I wouldn't want my LEAF to make less of a sound than the tiny sound it intentional makes.