National Federation of the Blind of Florida
RESOLUTION 2008 - 01
Concerning Quiet Cars
WHEREAS, electric vehicles operate on batteries and are
marketed as having the advantage of operating without the sound and smell of
standard internal combustion engines, and hybrid vehicles combine conventional
gas-powered engines with battery-powered electric motors and, when in the
electric mode, also operate without making sound;
and
WHEREAS, all pedestrians
use the sound of traffic in combination with other techniques to travel safely,
as evidenced by the fact that commercial trucks emit a sound when backing up to
alert pedestrians to their presence; and
WHEREAS, blind people
depend on the sound of traffic to travel independently and safely; and
WHEREAS, action must be
taken to ensure that all vehicles emit a sound while turned on, and such a sound
from all vehicles must be loud enough to be heard over the din of other ambient
noise and to be heard from far enough away to allow pedestrians to travel
safely, must be emitted both while the vehicle is in motion and while
motionless, must change with speed, must not easily be disabled, must not be
annoying but still emit a unique sound distinguishable from other noises, and
must be uniform from model to model: Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the
National Federation of the Blind of Florida in Convention assembled this
twenty-sixth day of May, 2008, in the City of Jacksonville, Florida, that this
organization declare that the only solution to the quiet car emergency is a
continuous sound emitted by the vehicle itself; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
this organization raise an alarm with car manufacturers,