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New “Silent Cars” – Why Aren’t We More Concerned About Safety?
The new Lexus CT 200h car is one of many new cars, both hybrid and not, to claim to have new quiet or silent engines. But does this not pose a big safety risk?
The above video shows the new high profile television advert for the Lexus CT 200h, featuring Kylie Minogue. It’s currently getting a lot of airplay in the UK, and there seems to be a lot of excitement about this car, among other new “silent” types.
The makers of these cars are happy to tell us in great detail about how these new engines benefit the driver and passengers – they make driving more peaceful and possibly less stressful, as well as the important aesthetic aspect of just being “smooth” and “cruising along”, but it seems to me like we are ignoring a big safety risk here – the risk to the pedestrian.
Cars with silent or significantly quieter engines are harder to hear. It’s quite simple. So are these cars not creating a new danger to pedestrians and cyclists. The green cross code teaches children to “Stop. Look. Listen. Live”, but silent cars are essentially removing one of these senses! And what of the blind, or poorly sighted? Are we not here significantly amplifying the massive danger already produced by our busy road networks?
Cyclists too, rely a lot on their sense of hearing to deduce the presence of cars around them. It is often difficult, when cycling at high speeds or in busy areas where a lot of concentration is required, to be able to consistently monitor what is behind you by sight alone. Turning your head the necessary 150 degrees or so to get a full look at the road behind you is not only difficult, but dangerous as well at times, and so to an extent, the sound of cars behind is very important to cyclists.
I can only hope that car manufacturers and designers, as well as health and safety operatives, are listening to these concerns and doing something about them. For even I, as a young, fit and fully sighted person, will from now on be a lot more cautious about crossing roads.
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March 20, 2011
interesting one
March 20, 2011
You raised a very sensible point here.
March 20, 2011
you have pointed out some very good reasons why the cars shouldnt be completely quiet, not to mention our precious pets who may wonder.
March 20, 2011
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