NHTSA Calls For Warning Sounds on Hybrids

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Crashes involving pedestrians are on the rise.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is reporting that between the years of 2002 and 2007, there has been an 11% increase in such accidents, which account for 13% of all traffic deaths.  In reaction to this increase,  the NHTSA has proposed a minimum noise level requirement for battery-based vehicles which tent to be nearly silent at certain speeds.

The proposal is set to be phased in between now and the release of the 2016 model-year.  New rules would include a minimum noise requirement for vehicles operating under 18 miles per hour.  Vehicles will be required to make enough noise for pedestrians to hear them over a normal level of city noise.  Manufacturers will be able to choose the sounds their vehicles make under the proposed circumstances.

As the number of battery-based vehicles increases, so is the concern for pedestrian safety.  Estimates indicate that a hybrid vehicle is 19% more likely to be involved in a pedestrian crash and 38% more likely to involved in a bicycle crash.  The NHTSA hopes to decrease the number of these types of crashed by 2,700 per year once the new regulations are in place.

Adding minimum noise level equipment to vehicles has an estimated cost of $35 per vehicle and $23 million annually for the industry.    Yet, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers are supportive and encouraged by the flexibility included within the proposal.

According to NBSNews.com:

“Our proposal would allow manufacturers the flexibility to design different sounds for different makes and models while still providing an opportunity for pedestrians, bicyclists and the visually impaired to detect and recognize a vehicle and make a decision about whether it is safe to cross the street,” explained NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.