Obama signs new law that will require ‘quiet cars’ to get noisier
Its been talked about around Washington for quite some time now, and President Obama has officially signed a bill that will require ‘quiet cars’ to come equipped with sound emitting devices to help alert the blind and other pedestrians.
While many other automotive safety bill shave stalled out in the wake of the Toyota recall fiasco, this one was aggressively pushed through. Rep. Ed Towns, D-NY, the bills sponsor, said the following: “The trend toward putting more environmentally friendly, quiet vehicles on the road has unintentionally jeopardized the safety and independence of the blind and other pedestrians,”.
The law will require the NHTSA to establish requirements for the audible alerts, which will NOT be able to be controlled by the driver.
Both the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt come equipped with such devices, though the current Volt device is able to be controlled by the driver.
– By: Stephen Calogera
Source: Detroit News