Silent but deadly – are electric vehicles a menace?

Cease, look and listen – it’s a familiar road safety message.

But what if you can not hear a vehicle approaching? What if the auto is an electric or hybrid automobile that makes nearly no sound?

The quantity of electric and hybrid cars on our roads is rising: sales were up almost 4fold in 2014 to 14,498, according to the Society of Motor Producers and Traders.

We’ve all been encouraged to go green by plug-in grants towards the acquire cost of vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and the Toyota Prius.

And if your automobile has zero emissions, you will spend zero vehicle excise duty.

Safety implications

But campaigners are concerned about the security implications of silent but potentially deadly automobiles.

And no wonder. Electric and hybrid cars are 40% more most likely to be involved in an accident, and incidents involving quiet automobiles increased by 54% from 2012-2013.

Quiet vehicles are a possible threat to all pedestrians, but blind and partially sighted folks are especially vulnerable.

Sound is also key for the safety of cyclists, horse riders and road upkeep crews.

Near misses

Paralympian Libby Clegg has had 2 near misses with quiet automobiles. She says: “As a guide dog owner I rely on being in a position to hear vehicles to judge when it is secure to cross the road.

“It’s terrifying to cross when you are unable to hear quiet hybrid and electric autos.”

Soundless automobiles can’;t only lead to physical harm, but they can also shatter confidence.

Jennifer Keen, the Guide Dogs’ charity’s spokeswoman, says: “It’s not just about accidents, it is about perceptions and about close to misses. So, if somebody loses their sight they will frequently lose a lot of their confidence to go out by themselves.”

Sound levels

The average street in the UK produces sound at about 70 decibels, but a quiet car generates in between 30 and 50 decibels.

In other words, it is difficult to hear an electric automobile above the standard hustle and bustle of the street.

Studies by the University of California recommend that some electric and hybrid cars can not be heard until 1 second prior to impact with a pedestrian, enabling no time to react to possible danger.

Crossing pedestrians

Audibility is especially crucial at low speeds when vehicles usually closer to pedestrians, for example manoeuvring in a vehicle park or close to a crossing in a city centre.

The danger is confirmed by investigation conducted by the Warwick Manufacturing Group as portion of the Electric Automobiles with Sounds project (ELVES).

It found that “during certain low-speed manoeuvres, an electric vehicle is far more than twice as probably to be involved in an incident with a pedestrian than a vehicle powered by a standard gasoline or diesel engine”.

AVAS, me hearties

Final year, the European Parliament voted to introduce mandatory acoustic car alerting systems (AVAS), which mimic the sound of a conventional engine.

All new electric and hybrid cars need to be fitted with an AVAS by 2021 to defend vulnerable road customers.

The legislation follows lobbying from British MEPs and campaign groups including Guide Dogs. But does it go far adequate?

Out of sight

Keen says: “We’re delighted the European Union has recognised the issues quiet vehicles trigger for pedestrians who cannot hear them coming, but the regulation does not go nearly far enough.

“New quiet cars will not have to be fitted with an artificial sound generator until 2021. This is also late to safeguard blind and partially sighted pedestrians.

“The other key problem with the regulation is that the artificial sound generator will be fitted with a pause switch, enabling the driver to turn it off as they pick.

“This will make it void as a safety function.”

Pause press

Guide Dogs desires the government to make the pause switch illegal on UK roads.

It is also calling for artificial sound generators to be a precondition of state subsidies to the electric and hybrid car market.

In the meantime, we will all have to stop, look and listen really hard when we are crossing the road.

You can support the Guide Dogs’ Secure and Sound campaign by going to the site www.guidedogs.org.uk.

Silent but deadly – are electric vehicles a menace?