[peterca]

In an online discussion on electric cars one participant wrote:
"I don’t like electric cars because they are really quiet and I am deaf so I can’t hear them
I mean they’re good for the environment though I guess"
Does he not have a point? Electric cars can be dangerous to the deaf and blind. Should we not do everything possible to warn the blind and the deaf of our approach?

 

[mikeselectricstuff]

I think any car approved since middle of last year (?) has to have fake engine sound, so presumably can't be turned off in these models. At some point I expect this may make its way into the MOT.
IANAL but I doubt it's possible to make using an existing feature of the car (VESS Switch) illegal - I don't think there is any precedent for outlawing features on older vehicles that complied with standards at the time.

 

[Todor]

In an online discussion on electric cars one participant wrote:
"I don’t like electric cars because they are really quiet and I am deaf so I can’t hear them
I mean they’re good for the environment though I guess"
Does he not have a point? Electric cars can be dangerous to the deaf and blind. Should we not do everything possible to warn the blind and the deaf of our approach?

I'm sorry, and don't want to insult anyone, but how does a deaf person distinguish between ICE and EV? What is the VESS going to do to help a deaf person?

 

[BabyEVDriver]

In an online discussion on electric cars one participant wrote:
"I don’t like electric cars because they are really quiet and I am deaf so I can’t hear them ??
I mean they’re good for the environment though I guess"
Does he not have a point? Electric cars can be dangerous to the deaf and blind. Should we not do everything possible to warn the blind and the deaf of our approach?

Man oh man you are gullible (or thick as pigshit). Since when did making a car electric cause Deaf people not to see??? To quote a proverb " Does a tree falling in a forest make a sound, if there is no one there to hear it?"

 

[peterca]

I'm sorry, and don't want to insult anyone, but how does a deaf person distinguish between ICE and EV? What is the VESS going to do to help a deaf person?

If the deaf person is not totally deaf he may be able to hear an ice car or an electric car with the VESS on approaching, whereas he might totally miss a silent electric car.

 

[cdlb]

I'm hard of hearing enough to need hearing aids, but I've accepted that trying to rely on hearing cars approaching isn't going to end well.

I have more sympathy for blind people.

 

[BabyEVDriver]

If the deaf person is not totally deaf he may be able to hear an ice car or an electric car with the VESS on approaching, whereas he might totally miss a silent electric car.

Rubbish, every person cabable should use their eyes to look to oncoming cars before ever stepping into the road. This reminds me of this classic sketch,

 

[shikoku14]

I have a deaf son and EV or not he can’t hear cars. Mind you he can smell a diesel at idle, so maybe in addition to VESS which serves the blind community there should be smell-o-vision* for the Deaf (something pleasant but unique, and obviously not harmful to young lungs), but we could be going down an inclusivity cul-de-sac.

* Also useful for fools with noise cancelling headphones 🎧

 

[BabyEVDriver]

I have a deaf son and EV or not he can’t hear cars. Mind you he can smell a diesel at idle, so maybe in addition to VESS which serves the blind community there should be smell-o-vision for the Deaf (something pleasant but unique, and obviously not harmful to young lungs), but we could be going down an inclusivity cul-de-sac

Be careful, we will get a flood of angry posts from blind people who lurk in the forums, saying we are mocking them.

 

[shikoku14]

Sight and hearing are probably on a par sense wise if you are missing hearing or sight when it comes to the ability to distinguish an oncoming vehicle, so it was very much in jest my smell-o-vision suggestion, as that would be a bit too close range to save you.

In both cases they are missing the secondary sense that deny an impaired pedestrian to be as careless as those of us who are lucky enough to have all our senses and then choose to impair one (such as with aforementioned headphones, which I myself used to be guilty of when I commuted in London)

 

[BabyEVDriver]

Sight and hearing are probably on a par sense wise if you are missing hearing or sight when it comes to the ability to distinguish an oncoming vehicle, so it was very much in jest my smell-o-vision suggestion, as that would be a bit too close range to save you.

I knew it was tongue in cheek, so was my reply about blind people, read it again and think about it for a bit!

Or how about this one.

"My Dad is blind and hates driving electric cars, he says in ICE cars due to the engine noise he can't hear peoples screams"

 

[Gt6k]

Hearing doesn't help as I have now found when cycling that that if I use my bell to warn pedestrians then instead of looking up they now reach for their phone and stare at it quizzically.

 

[Padrino]

If the deaf person is not totally deaf he may be able to hear an ice car or an electric car with the VESS on approaching, whereas he might totally miss a silent electric car.

If the deaf person is not totally deaf......a lots of "IF's" 😂
So...how about if a blind person is not a totally blind? What we will do then?

 

[Todor]

It is a crap shoot anyway you look at the problem. I'm all for inclusive design, but solving those issues is not a simple matter.

 

[JamesG]

I think personally its more a case of peoples ears not being trained or used to electric cars. It takes the brain longer to realise what the funny noise is. I was walking on a quiet road the other day (that didn't have paths). I thought thats a strange noise behind me, followed by oh crap there is an electric car behind me. Its not that i couldn't hear it just that it took a moment to realise. If that makes sense.

 

[Xinix]

How about the car emits two radio signals that can be captured by a device for the visually or auditory impaired that uses triangulation to determine speed, location and distance. The device can warn the user of oncoming traffic if it is within impact distance. No noise on the streets and safety for those who need it.

 

[AndyWilson]

Guide Dogs rely a lot on their hearing to judge traffic too.

 

[Neilew]

whereas he might totally miss a silent electric car.

Electric cars are not 100% silent. Very quiet, but silent, no.

A couple of years ago I was driving along the road to my estate with no other cars on the road. I spotted a blind chap I know waiting at the side of the road by one of the reservations along the way. Clearly waiting to cross, but I had a quandry. Thinking that I was really quiet I didn't want to make him jump by peeping the horn. So I drew up just short of him and waiting to see what he would do. After a couple of moments, just as I was going to get out and tell him it was okay to cross, he gave me a wave and started to cross. He had definitely heard me as the hesitation and wave clearly proves..

 

[HandyAndy]

VW ID.3 has Car2X technology. I think this is meant to be an ?open? standard that allows 2 (or more maybe) cars that are close together to "talk", e.g. one in front says "I'm doing an emergency brake, watch out" & car behind can react autonomously & start braking even before the driver's realised what's happening. So there must be some short range comms going on, Bluetooth? weak radio like TPMS or key-fobs? maybe GPS coords swapped as well?

Whatever, maybe it would be possible to devise a gadget that taps into these comms, maybe without joining in, that alerts a deaf/blind/slow-moving person there's a car coming their way. This idea can't be patented now (unless someone has already do it) as this post constitutes published prior-art. My Xmas gift to some keen app-coder/maker out there with the time to do it...

And if it does join in the comms, and has accurate GPS, maybe it can warn the car that "someone's just stepping into the road 30 yards ahead"...

 

[njm106]

I was crossing between parked cars a few weeks ago and the one to my right was quite high as I looked from the pavement I couldn't see or hear anything but as I started to step out still looking right I gave a lady driving a Model 3 an awful fright and quickly moved back.

I never heard the Model 3 though till it past me, not sure if it has a VESS or not but it was bloody quiet, so much for all those rattling trims and panels 🤣