03-10-2008, 06:46 AM
That's what I was afraid of...fear-based legislation that adds cost (and noise and weight) to prevent an imaginary problem.
Just to be clear, the first time a blind pedestrian is struck and, heaven forbid, killed by a hybrid car doesn't mean anything, really, other than to the people involved and their families:
Assume that 0.1% of all cars on the road are hybrids (I have no idea what the actual number is), then 0.1% of all pedestrian accidents (or any other kind of accident) should, statistically speaking, involve hybrid vehicles. And if blind people make up 1% of the average, random pedestrian traffic (again, I have no idea what the actual number is), then 0.001% of all pedestrian accidents should, statistically speaking, involve hybrid vehicles vs. blind pedestrians.
With a given number of hybrid vehicles, and a given proportion of blind pedestrians, there is a calculable probability that we should expect hybrid vehicles to strike blind pedestrians. If the actual numbers are greater, then maybe we have a problem, which may or may not have anything to do with noise levels. If there's no statistical difference between random and actual, then there's no problem with hybrid vehicles vis-a-vis blind pedestrians.
That's all I'm saying, is to apply a little factual analysis to the situation before we start mandating a costly, noisy add-on to hybrid vehicles.
Aloha! ;-)
Just to be clear, the first time a blind pedestrian is struck and, heaven forbid, killed by a hybrid car doesn't mean anything, really, other than to the people involved and their families:
Assume that 0.1% of all cars on the road are hybrids (I have no idea what the actual number is), then 0.1% of all pedestrian accidents (or any other kind of accident) should, statistically speaking, involve hybrid vehicles. And if blind people make up 1% of the average, random pedestrian traffic (again, I have no idea what the actual number is), then 0.001% of all pedestrian accidents should, statistically speaking, involve hybrid vehicles vs. blind pedestrians.
With a given number of hybrid vehicles, and a given proportion of blind pedestrians, there is a calculable probability that we should expect hybrid vehicles to strike blind pedestrians. If the actual numbers are greater, then maybe we have a problem, which may or may not have anything to do with noise levels. If there's no statistical difference between random and actual, then there's no problem with hybrid vehicles vis-a-vis blind pedestrians.
That's all I'm saying, is to apply a little factual analysis to the situation before we start mandating a costly, noisy add-on to hybrid vehicles.
Aloha! ;-)
Aloha! ;-)