Hybrids Too Quiet, Get Fake Engine Noise

I have owned my Prius for one full year now. The same amount of people walk out on the road in front of me as when I drove the Lincoln Continental, Honda Civic, Audi A4, and Crown Vic I used to own, and as when I drive my wife's Saturn. And that number is very small.

Besides. Why the crap do cars have horns? I've used them occasionally to scare animals (or people) out of my way when headed down the road.
 
Besides. Why the crap do cars have horns? I've used them occasionally to scare animals (or people) out of my way when headed down the road.

ahh little kids playing cricket or whatever sport you americans play on the road.... HONK.. freaks the shit out of the little bastards!!! oh the simple pleasures in life :p;):D
 
As A Handicaped Man myself I am suprised at the cold hearted attitude of a lot of you. I am not blind (obviously). Wheel chair bound. You guys wouldnt have 1/10 of the balls it takes to forge ahead despite being handicap and all the hurdles one faces in a given day that you guys dont even blink at. Yet we as a community are trying to live independant and productive lives and all you bitches can do is whine about some engine noises. Grow the hell up and realise the world doesnt revolve around you or anyone else. We have to make the best with what we got. If some stupid fake engine noises will save someone's life then I am all for it.
 
The university I'm at have this set up on one of their electric cars. I think they made it like a V8 engine, it's really well done.
 
If some stupid fake engine noises will save someone's life then I am all for it.

Yeah, lets waste a ton of money saving maybe one life a year. As far as I can tell no one has actually gotten killed by a hybrid because they couldn't hear it, so the problem doesn't exist. It's all theoretical. I would even put forward that a blind person, minus seeing eye dog, wouldn't be able to react fast enough anyway and they'd still be dependent on the driver seeing them.

An unreliable solution for a non-existant problem. Sorry but being blind is going to be a bit of an inconvenience, just like any other disability. And its going to make life in a fast-paced, seeing world potentially very difficult and even more dangerous.

However, wasting money on a measure that does not save lives is irresponsible. You're effectively trading lives. One blind person might be saved, but what if the extra money spent on some fake noisemaker was used to add another airbag to the car, or any other little safety feature that you dont see in cheap cars. That would save a LOT more lives for the same money.
 
For me, it is a very hard thing to compromise on. On one hand, I empathize with the handicapped side of the issue. The blind need every resource at their dispossal to try to function and live within a society that is naturally geared towards those without any disabilities. I can't even imagine trying to live my life without the being able to see, and admire those doing just that. In fact, I forsee hearing problems in my future, since I've already started devoloping issues distinguishing voices when there are other noises. I refuse to go to bars now because I can't hear any conversations with those I am sitting across the table from due to all the additional voices, music, dish clattering, etc.

On the other hand, nothing is more peaceful and relaxing to me (and I'm sure many others) than a walk through the mountains or country side, far away from the noise of the city. Bringing even a fraction of that into the urban environment would be extremely beneficial to our over-stressed, overworked, rush-rush-rush society, not to mention being helpful to me. The desire to aid the physically impaired should not mean we need to add more noise when instead we should be focusing on reducing noise pollution in general. They already started down that path with motorcycles, which I hate with a passion. Why should I have to hear a motorcycle engine going down the road 3 blocks away from me or more!!!!

To me, it would make more sense to equip cars with motion sensors that will force the car to come to a stop if someone walks out in front of the vehicle. This doesn't produce any more noise pollution (of which there is already too much of). If a noise producing device is absolutely necessary, it should only activate when there is a person present nearby. When driving on the freeway, the vehicle should be silent. Unfortunately, I still think it would produce too much noise when driving on city streets, IMO.
 
To me, it would make more sense to equip cars with motion sensors that will force the car to come to a stop if someone walks out in front of the vehicle.

Interesting idea but I don't think it is feasible. It would have to detect that it was a person, and not, say, a stationary object. It would also have to detect it at a far enough distance to allow for braking. Also, even the slightest chance of a false triggering of the mechanism could in itself cause a catastrophic accident.

There are systems available in luxury cars now that slow you down if you're on cruise control and get too close to the vehicle in front of you. Those are about a $7500 option, and are simplistic in comparison.

The fact is, blind or not, pedestrians are always going to be at risk when walking near large objects moving at speed. You can implement insanely costly safety measures that may or may not actually do any good, but the real burden is on the driver and the pedestrian. If a driver sees someone with a cane or a dog, they should keep their eye on them until they are clear of them. If the pedestrian is not blind, they should be keeping their freaking eyes open and not walking in front of cars.

There comes a point where safety is the responsibility of people, not technology. Bad stuff is going to happen, sometimes you have to accept that there is no keeping everyone safe at all times. People in this day seem to go nuts over safety. If theres a .0001% chance of something making you sick, people campaign for it to be banned. If you can be injured doing something, people want to ban it or restrict it.

The best safety measure is a bit of vigilance and common sense, not laws or technology.
 
Yeah, lets waste a ton of money saving maybe one life a year. As far as I can tell no one has actually gotten killed by a hybrid because they couldn't hear it, so the problem doesn't exist. It's all theoretical. I would even put forward that a blind person, minus seeing eye dog, wouldn't be able to react fast enough anyway and they'd still be dependent on the driver seeing them.

An unreliable solution for a non-existant problem. Sorry but being blind is going to be a bit of an inconvenience, just like any other disability. And its going to make life in a fast-paced, seeing world potentially very difficult and even more dangerous.

However, wasting money on a measure that does not save lives is irresponsible. You're effectively trading lives. One blind person might be saved, but what if the extra money spent on some fake noisemaker was used to add another airbag to the car, or any other little safety feature that you dont see in cheap cars. That would save a LOT more lives for the same money.

but it IS real, i described how i with no handicaps nearly got ran over and the lack of sound would have made all the difference

who cares if it is one life, one life is enough to justify it, and i am willing to bet there have been non-fatal incidents involving pedestrians and silent cars already, it just hasn't reached epic proportion yet...

so where do we draw the line? do we say, okay, 15 people have to die or be handicapped for life before something harmless becomes a good idea? really man.....think
 
The lack of compassion to the handicapped in the thread amazes me. I thought most of you guys were pretty cool and understanding. But I guess I know better now.

You must have thought that you were on some other forum.
 
The device already exists to make your eco-car sound like a real car.
VroomBox
I wonder if it can be programed to sound like the Jetsons or a Star Wars Pod racer? :D
 
but it IS real, i described how i with no handicaps nearly got ran over and the lack of sound would have made all the difference

who cares if it is one life, one life is enough to justify it, and i am willing to bet there have been non-fatal incidents involving pedestrians and silent cars already, it just hasn't reached epic proportion yet...

so where do we draw the line? do we say, okay, 15 people have to die or be handicapped for life before something harmless becomes a good idea? really man.....think

The problem in your story was an unattentive driver and, no offense, a lack of diligence on your part. Not the cars sound. Any number of things could have prevented the situation, does that mean we should implement every single one of them, cost be damned? Hell no.

Yeah if it had been noisier you might have heard it, or maybe the driver, or you, should have just been paying attention. If the driver is paying attention, and pedestrians are cautious, there is no need for this.

Paying attention to your surroundings as a driver and as a pedestrian is no less a security measure than some fake engine noise. It's a hell of a lot cheaper too. Why do we insist on trying to invent more technology to protect us from our own stupidity? If people used their brains most safety precautions in place for anything would be unnecessary.

And yes, unfortunately there is a point where we have to draw the line. It's nice to think that if even one life could be spared we should spend whatever amount of money is required to save it. But that isn't reality. In reality, theres only so much money that can viably be spent, so it must be spent cautiously.

There are a lot of cars out there that fare horribly in accidents because people demand cheap cars, and there isnt a lot of budget for safety features. Lets say they have $500 to spend. Do they spend $500 saving 1000 lives a year, or $500 saving 1 life a year? That's the math they have to do. And no, spending $1000 too save 1001 lives is not an option.

If every single possible accident had some kind of technogadgety device designed to prevent it, you couldn't afford to buy a car. Where do YOU draw the line? What about people who are hard of hearing and cant hear cars in the first place, do we attach obnoxious flashing lights to every car because headlights do not show up well during the day?

There are a billion scenarios that could cause an accident between a car and another car, or a car and a pedestrian. If we try and account for every one that could remotely happen, we'll end up accomplishing nothing.
 
picard-facepalm.jpg
 
I would definitely be up for this if I could upload my own "engine noise."

I'd love an electric car with "Tie Fighter" engine noise.
 
I hate to say it guys, but "I told you so!" :D
 
I love how the solution in a couple of these replies is to "Look both ways before crossing the street." Hello, the target group for this device is BLIND people. Personally I don't feel this device is neccesary.

Another solution would be to make tire manufacturers create a separate tread pattern for quiet cars like hybrids that makes more road noise.

And if I could pick my own sound I would record a four year old playing with a toy truck.
 
I would definitely be up for this if I could upload my own "engine noise."

I'd love an electric car with "Tie Fighter" engine noise.

Oh god no. Yet I imagine it happening. Engine 'ring' tones. That'll take annoying to a whole new level.

If that happened, I might be compelled to wear earplugs whenever I go near the street thus negating the whole purpose of the system. I'm not stupid, but maybe the engine tones will drive me crazy and make me do it!

Anyway, we don't know if the system will be effective or not, yet people jump on it the moment they hear that it might make things safer. If it really does make everyone safer then I've got no problem with it; I might even support it. If it doesn't work then we've just increased noise pollution and wasted money on nothing. It'll probably be somewhere in the middle, but I just don't know where the line will be drawn (as NKDietrich puts it).
 
So, if we are picking our own sounds, can I choose the quite rustling of autumn leaves in a light breeze :p
 
I love how the solution in a couple of these replies is to "Look both ways before crossing the street." Hello, the target group for this device is BLIND people. Personally I don't feel this device is neccesary.

Another solution would be to make tire manufacturers create a separate tread pattern for quiet cars like hybrids that makes more road noise.

And if I could pick my own sound I would record a four year old playing with a toy truck.

lol I can definitely see that. A car goes by and you hear a pbbttthhhhhhhh!!!
 
As A Handicaped Man myself I am suprised at the cold hearted attitude of a lot of you. I am not blind (obviously). Wheel chair bound. You guys wouldnt have 1/10 of the balls it takes to forge ahead despite being handicap and all the hurdles one faces in a given day that you guys dont even blink at. Yet we as a community are trying to live independant and productive lives and all you bitches can do is whine about some engine noises. Grow the hell up and realise the world doesnt revolve around you or anyone else. We have to make the best with what we got. If some stupid fake engine noises will save someone's life then I am all for it.

I don't have a cold hearted attitude. There are many handicapped people very dear to me in my life, and I have had the privilege of leading around the blind by the hand. There are too many quiet cars out there that vastly outnumber the hybrids to make this "noise" solution a practical one. That's why I brought up the horn. Attentive drivers and beeping horns will save lives. Often by the time you hear the engine it's too late, and at higher, more fatal speeds the air and road noise are usually going to be louder than any normal car's engine.

Yeah, lets waste a ton of money saving maybe one life a year. As far as I can tell no one has actually gotten killed by a hybrid because they couldn't hear it, so the problem doesn't exist. It's all theoretical. I would even put forward that a blind person, minus seeing eye dog, wouldn't be able to react fast enough anyway and they'd still be dependent on the driver seeing them.

An unreliable solution for a non-existant problem. Sorry but being blind is going to be a bit of an inconvenience, just like any other disability. And its going to make life in a fast-paced, seeing world potentially very difficult and even more dangerous.

However, wasting money on a measure that does not save lives is irresponsible. You're effectively trading lives. One blind person might be saved, but what if the extra money spent on some fake noisemaker was used to add another airbag to the car, or any other little safety feature that you dont see in cheap cars. That would save a LOT more lives for the same money.

+1

For me, it is a very hard thing to compromise on. On one hand, I empathize with the handicapped side of the issue. The blind need every resource at their dispossal to try to function and live within a society that is naturally geared towards those without any disabilities. I can't even imagine trying to live my life without the being able to see, and admire those doing just that. In fact, I forsee hearing problems in my future, since I've already started devoloping issues distinguishing voices when there are other noises. I refuse to go to bars now because I can't hear any conversations with those I am sitting across the table from due to all the additional voices, music, dish clattering, etc.

On the other hand, nothing is more peaceful and relaxing to me (and I'm sure many others) than a walk through the mountains or country side, far away from the noise of the city. Bringing even a fraction of that into the urban environment would be extremely beneficial to our over-stressed, overworked, rush-rush-rush society, not to mention being helpful to me. The desire to aid the physically impaired should not mean we need to add more noise when instead we should be focusing on reducing noise pollution in general. They already started down that path with motorcycles, which I hate with a passion. Why should I have to hear a motorcycle engine going down the road 3 blocks away from me or more!!!!

To me, it would make more sense to equip cars with motion sensors that will force the car to come to a stop if someone walks out in front of the vehicle. This doesn't produce any more noise pollution (of which there is already too much of). If a noise producing device is absolutely necessary, it should only activate when there is a person present nearby. When driving on the freeway, the vehicle should be silent. Unfortunately, I still think it would produce too much noise when driving on city streets, IMO.

+1

but it IS real, i described how i with no handicaps nearly got ran over and the lack of sound would have made all the difference

who cares if it is one life, one life is enough to justify it, and i am willing to bet there have been non-fatal incidents involving pedestrians and silent cars already, it just hasn't reached epic proportion yet...

so where do we draw the line? do we say, okay, 15 people have to die or be handicapped for life before something harmless becomes a good idea? really man.....think

Nobody wants anyone to die. We just have an opinion that it's not a real practical solution, and the problem is better solved in other ways, like beeping your horn. If the vehicle that almost ran you over was a hybrid, than it was either going so slowly that it wouldn't have likely killed you, or if it was going fast enough to fatally injure you it was probably making almost as much noise as another car. If you didn't hear a hybrid, there's no way you would've heard the Lincoln Continental I used to own. The thing ran almost as quiet as my Prius.

And let's not forget all the electric vehicles - government vehicles, electric vehicles used for entertainment, new plug-in electric dealios, etc. Are we going to mandate noisemakers on all of those, too?

The best way to prevent pedestrian accidents is to prosecute violators. Even though you need to look both ways before you cross the street, you must always yield to pedestrians. People who don't follow the rules are punished, thus even hybrid owners are motivated not to run people over!

I would definitely be up for this if I could upload my own "engine noise."

I'd love an electric car with "Tie Fighter" engine noise.

A prius that sounds like a tie fighter. YEAH!!! That would rock! :D I would totally go for one of those!!! Screw normal engine noises...
 
I support the idea, I was getting something out of my trunk in a parking lot that is normally pretty empty I turned and was about to walk when I was almost hit by a Prius. The stupid thing was like a ninja. I live in Texas, every car is supposed to make a noise....... and have 4 inch pipes so you know it's there a half mile away. My GTO makes a lot of noise, is it too much to ask that a little prius makes some noise?
 
I support the idea, I was getting something out of my trunk in a parking lot that is normally pretty empty I turned and was about to walk when I was almost hit by a Prius. The stupid thing was like a ninja. I live in Texas, every car is supposed to make a noise....... and have 4 inch pipes so you know it's there a half mile away. My GTO makes a lot of noise, is it too much to ask that a little prius makes some noise?

Well, is it too much to ask that cars don't make any noise ;) I have a Toyota 4-Runner and while it is pretty darn quite, I wish it was even quieter when I have to start it at 6:00 am before my wife wakes up.

Of course, I've never understood the desire to add things to cars to make them louder than they come out of the factory. I don't want to hear your car driving down the road a half mile away from me. Hell, I don't want to hear it on the next street. I just consider it overcompensation for something you are lacking :p

Out of curiosity, if you were almost hit by the Prius because it was so quite, where were you looking when you should have looked in both directions of the parking lot before taking a step?

I guess I'm just paranoid. When I am walking, I don't trust anyone in a huge metal vehicle that could cause me bodily harm. When crossing a parking lot or street, I don't even trust them if they appear to be slowing down. Either I wait for them to pass or come to a complete stop before taking a step out. Too many people aren't paying attention, both drivers and pedestrians (especially with cell phones and now text messaging). If anything, I think pedestrians should shoulder more responsibility in the courts for some of these accidents. If someone is walking along and texting and steps out in the street in front of a car, the driver shouldn't be the one fully responsible for anticipating that the pedestrian is an idiot and the accident should be chalked up to "weeding out the gene pool" :D
 
The lack of compassion to the handicapped in the thread amazes me. I thought most of you guys were pretty cool and understanding. But I guess I know better now.

I can't speak for others, but I do have compassion, but this is a solution in search of a problem. The blind have much better hearing than you or I, and moving cars make noise, even if the engine is off.
 
I'll see if you can get spoked rims for the Prius, then I can stick a playing card in between the spokes for a motorcycle noise;)

Fortunately I don't own one so I don't have to feel bad that the old battery parts get dumped in a land fill.
 
What I dont get is we have been runing gas guzling V8 engines for like 60 years in this country or longer and all of a sudden some low speed engine noises are a problem. The sounds only turn on when the car is runing on the electric motor. Just because there hasnt been a ton of fatalities doesnt mean that people have not been injured.

The horn honking argument is flawed because your life is the hand of the on coming driver. Seriously, would you want your life to depend on the alertness of another person ? I sure dont. How many times have you seen someone driving while on the phone and nearly run over you and you basically "Saw it coming" Blind people dont have that luxury and hearing is their main sense to be able to navigate.
 
What I dont get is we have been runing gas guzling V8 engines for like 60 years in this country or longer and all of a sudden some low speed engine noises are a problem. The sounds only turn on when the car is runing on the electric motor. Just because there hasnt been a ton of fatalities doesnt mean that people have not been injured.

The horn honking argument is flawed because your life is the hand of the on coming driver. Seriously, would you want your life to depend on the alertness of another person ? I sure dont. How many times have you seen someone driving while on the phone and nearly run over you and you basically "Saw it coming" Blind people dont have that luxury and hearing is their main sense to be able to navigate.

In a world of going green, one of the biggest problems with pollution is noise pollution and Light pollution. Your asking more in a time when people should be asking for less. Can't you hippies understand that we are already going to have to forgo our V8's soon enough at least let the people who do get greener hybrids and such be able to know that they aren't increasing the db levels of world to the point that our kids have hearing damage by the time their 30.
 
I can't speak for others, but I do have compassion, but this is a solution in search of a problem. The blind have much better hearing than you or I, and moving cars make noise, even if the engine is off.

ANYONE has better hearing than me :p

(I'm deaf lol)
 
FlyinBrian said:
What I dont get is we have been runing gas guzling V8 engines for like 60 years in this country or longer and all of a sudden some low speed engine noises are a problem. The sounds only turn on when the car is runing on the electric motor. Just because there hasnt been a ton of fatalities doesnt mean that people have not been injured.

Maybe I'm just a noise pollution fanatic (since extraneous noise is of a big concern for me), but I have always purchased cars with the lowest noise output as possible since I started driving, so your comment about noise all of a sudden becoming a problem is just as flawed as you think the horn comments are. My decision to purchase our current 4Runner back in 2003 was becuase it was the quietest SUV with the leg room we needed in our price range. After 14 years of driving and buying cars with this factor being important to me, I'm very happy that others are standing up for trying to reduce the noise pollution that is rampant in our society and too few people take into consideration.
 
Personally, I think the blind should just learn to cope. Is that harsh? Maybe. Is it politically unpopular, absolutely. The rest of the world will get use to looking both ways before crossing the street.
 
Way to prove Jack Thompson correct about computers, video games and human mentality.

Internet anonymity gives people full freedom to act like complete fucking jerks if they choose to, fact.

Sucks but its true, and you don't need someone like Jack Thompson to verify that. :)
 
Internet anonymity gives people full freedom to act like complete fucking jerks if they choose to, fact.

Sucks but its true, and you don't need someone like Jack Thompson to verify that. :)

oh I know, but I just threw that in there for effect. Nothing like seeing a bunch of jackasses pause and open their eyes wide in realization that their arch enemy Jack Thompson had been right all along.

(and no I don't think he was totally right. He was way off on violence and video games for one thing)
 
oh I know, but I just threw that in there for effect. Nothing like seeing a bunch of jackasses pause and open their eyes wide in realization that their arch enemy Jack Thompson had been right all along.

Huh, I don't remember Jack Thompson ever making a case regarding assholery on the internet, just ridiculous claims re: video games being murder and rape simulators.
 
In fact, Jack Thompson is notorious for his childish flame emails and general internet assholery... he's certainly never said anything about it, other than exemplify it perfectly.
 
Perfect! Then I should say not that Jack Thompson was right, but rather some of these guys here are acting like a bunch of Jack Thompsons ;)
 
My comment way back on the first page was tongue-in-cheek. Someone else made a comment about "the tyranny of the handicapped" (which I assume was also meant to be humorous). I hope you guys are reacting to that.
 
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