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Deja EVu – blind man hit twice by the same electric car

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Author: | Updated: 26 Mar 2015 16:19

All electric cars should come with sound generating systems as standard, a charity for the blind has said, after a blind man was knocked over twice in the same place by the same electric car.

Karl Denning, who has been blind for five years and relies on a white cane and guide dog, said he was unable to hear the hybrid car, which was in electric mode, “until it was too late”.

After listening for cars, Mr Denning says he “stepped out into the road, suddenly heard something, tried to jump back, actually jumped up but landed on the bonnet of the hybrid car”.

Rather than a petrol or diesel engine, electric cars use near-silent motors which emit little more than a gentle whir when on-the-move. The only other noise they make comes from the tyres upon contact with the road.

 Toyota Prius - a silent menace?

In an interview to BBC Radio 5 Live, Mr Denning said the female driver has since got rid of the electric car because she “couldn’t cope with the responsibility of people not hearing her”.

“One of the problems with an electric car is you have to pay a lot more attention to not only what is on the road but what’s on the footpath,” he added.

In a survey of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Guide Dogs, three in four (76%) agreed that quiet vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius [pictured] make UK roads less safe for pedestrians with visual impairment, especially elderly people and children.

‘Terrifying’

Paralympic sprinter Libby Clegg has experienced near-misses similar to Karl and relies on being able to hear cars.

“It’s terrifying to cross when you’re unable to hear quiet hybrid and electric vehicles,” she said.

“Ensuring all quiet vehicles have sound generating systems installed and switched on would ensure that millions of people, like me, who are living with sight loss, would be protected from the growing safety hazard."

James White, Campaigns Manager for Guide Dogs, believes that quiet vehicles pose a heightened risk to pedestrians outside schools and in residential areas.

“The Government is spending hundreds of millions of pounds to increase the numbers of quiet cars on the roads, and while we support the development of environmentally friendly vehicles, more needs to be done to protect pedestrian safety,” he said.

However, Nissan insists it has already done plenty to ensure their electric vehicles are heard.

Since day one, the Leaf has come with a sound system which makes noises sweeping between high and low frequencies designed to be easily audible by all age groups.

When the Leaf is started, the sound is louder so that a visually impaired person would be aware of the nearby car. The sound decreases in volume when the car reaches 17mph and enters a sound range where regular road noise is high. It starts again at speeds below 15mph.

Toyota GB said it doesn't comment on individual cases but they provided a statement saying: "There are several million Toyota hybrids operating safely on a daily basis around the world.

"These, and other hybrids and EVs, are not silent as tyre noise makes up the major part of the noise of a car driving past at speeds typical encountered in urban areas (i.e. above 20mph)."

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