Les Jones: Hybrid Cars - the Silent Killers

August 03, 2005

Tech > Hybrid Cars - the Silent Killers

"Headlines from the year 2020: Oat bran - the silent killer."
-- Brad Hall-era Saturday Night Live sketch

From The Safest Cars: a Holistic Approach, in the (San Francisco) Bayosphere:

This article is not about gas mileage, but about safety, and since I already scolded SUVs for their psychopathic tendency to kill humans, it�s only fair that I point out the danger of almost silent cars, which hybrids are at slow speeds. Ever see a �Deaf Child in Neighborhood� sign? Hybrids make us all, in effect, deaf. Drivers of hybrids are noting that silence is not golden; they're running over unwary animals and it could get worse.

Submitted to the Beltway Traffic Jam.

Posted by lesjones

Comments

Anybody ever see those bumper stickers from back in the day that said "Loud Engines Save Lives"? I used to see them when I was a kid on the older muscle cars that the gearheads in my neighborhood would work on during the weekends. This is the same principal. I think a better example would be BLIND child at play, since they rely solely on their hearing. I assume that a deaf person would be more visually astute than most people. A good point nonetheless.

Posted by: Matt Groom at August 03, 2005

A San Fransiscan would know. Ever see someone hit by a bicyclist? Silent but brutal, if less deadly than a hybrid.

Posted by: slickdpdx at August 03, 2005

A few weeks ago I posted about an unforeseen hazard with electric cars.. Namely that there are high-voltage lines in the cars, ranging from 144 to 650 volts, and rescue workers could get electrocuted while cutting into the cars to get to people after accidents. Ouch.

Posted by: Chris Wage at August 03, 2005