I had not seen this story until I stumbled across it on Autoblog Green, one of my fav greenie sites. Looks like KARE-11's story has gone national, being picked up by CNN and the like. Briefly, the story is this -- eight-year-old Minnesotan Owen Erickson runs his bike right into a Toyota Prius, which he could not hear coming because the car was running on its electric motor. Are silent, electric-powered vehicles a blessing to the Earth, or a threat to public safety? Don't be silent, MNspeakers, it's dangerous!
I read that they had manufactured electric motocycles, but nobody wanted them because they didn't make that loud motorycle noise, they they were recreating it artificially. Maybe something similar should apply here.
Although I think electric vehicles should make the preeeeeeeeeeeeeeee noise that the Jetson's car made.
Two elements that sort of relate here:
# Auditory output redundant with information on visual displays
# Visual output redundant with information in auditory output
Wait.. what?
Flannigan doesn't blame the driver of the Prius for running into her son, since Owen biked out in front of his car but she does cut her son some slack. "We're conditioned to hear car noises," she says. "This is a big safety issue."
That's odd, I was conditioned to LOOK BOTH WAYS.
I am curious about what kind of coverage/slant this story would get if the kid were deaf. Or even wearing earbuds.
»» Submitted by jen 2 at 4:03 PM on May 8
priuses clearly need louder stereos! rap music saves lives.
I, too, heard some time ago that this was a concern for folks who are blind. But I saw it in action for the first time last week: a person with a white cane walked right into the path of an on-coming Prius going about 25 miles an hour. The driver slammed on the brakes and missed the person by about two feet.
I've actually heard people complain about not being able to hear Priuses a couple of times before. It's especially a problem for people who are blind.
You took the words right out of my mouth. It must have been while you were kissing me. And I swear it's true I was just about to say global warming jihadists are killing blind people.
»» Submitted by kevin at 4:12 PM on May 8
I bought the sportier model...the Toyota Prius SBD
»» Submitted by grote at 4:15 PM on May 8
And I swear it's true I was just about to say global warming jihadists are killing blind people.
Kevin, it wouldn't be an issue if they had followed universal design standards. Global warming has nothing to do with it.
You took the words right out of my mouth. It must have been while you were kissing me. And I swear it's true I was just about to say global warming jihadists are killing blind people.
Wait, what? It really is a problem for people who are blind because they depend on the sound of cars to avoid being hit when they cross the street.
I know, I was going to say the same thing cause I've seen it with blind people getting off the bus to cross teh street. The global warming part was a JOKE. Everyone knows neo-cons are actually the ones killing the sightless.
»» Submitted by kevin at 4:29 PM on May 8
I think what Kevin is trying to say is that Prius owners have an obligation to blast Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell so that blind people can hear them coming.
I haven't seen the accident site, but if you've lived in Uptown for, oh, two days, you'd know that "looking both ways" isn't so simple. Cars are parked from corner to corner pretty much any time other than the middle of the workday, so you're always working with blinders. Slowly poking almost halfway into the intersection is just about the only way I know how to see if there's crossing traffic, and once you're that far...
but in case no one else has said it, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAX!
»» Submitted by wayno at 6:05 PM on May 8
i love the video. shows the cops gave him every chance to comply. also shows what a dangerous situation it was for everybody, being so close to the cars passing by.
simpleton, i think you owe the cops an apology. and maybe we all learned a lesson about jumping to conclusions?
»» Submitted by cubbie at 6:15 PM on May 8
I'm mounting speakers under the hood and playing machine gun fire and bombs going off from now on. That way people will at least have something REAL to be pissed off and whine about.
I would like to see the noise comparison of a let's say honda civic (non-hybrid) and a hybrid.
Modern engines are very quiet if they are not under hard acceleration.
I would bet that the tire noise generated by both hybrids and non-hybrids is much greater than either engine (again assuming no acceleration).
Actually the acceleration point is possibly moot as well considering the Prius would likely be loud during acceleration as well since it will be using both electric and gas motors.
I'm mounting speakers under the hood and playing machine gun fire and bombs going off from now on
Have them play Richard Wagner like in that helicopter battle scene from Apocalypse Now.
»» Submitted by The Rat at 7:07 PM on May 8
@Vlado:
Perhaps to someone who listens for cars in lieu of looking for cars, most cars do produce sound that is significantly more audible than a Prius is. I don't know this for fact, I'm just guessing.
cubbie, I'm going to go out on not to short of a limb and say you're mistaken if you think that video is going to make simpleton think differently about the situation.
The Rat likes the sound of Wagner in the morning (ah, no comment), it sounds like VICTORY.
Okay, we get it. Mission accomplished, so to speak. Except you have already noted on this site that driving a Prius would rob you of your manhood (again, no comment), so that's not likely to happen to you.
I kinda like Meatloaf's cell phone commercial. Think many people get the joke, or even know who he is? I mean, other than Eddie, the ill-fated delivery boy in "the vaults?" I hope at least one of you picked up on my Baker Street headline. That is the curious incident (leaves room).
you have already noted on this site that driving a Prius would rob you of your manhood
I've just said I think it's ugly. I've read other opinions who say: I've wanted to buy one, but then, I remember I'm not a girl.
I don't agree with that.
You want to drive it for the mileage, more power to you.
»» Submitted by The Rat at 9:55 PM on May 8
As someone said above, the plural of the Latin prius is priora. Neuter plurals in Latin end in a, e.g. agenda (things that must be done), and, more similar to the current case, opera, which is the plural of opus.
Prius is the neuter singular of the comparative adjective which means before or first. (The masculine and feminine form is prior.) So, prius standing as a substantive adjective, i.e. a noun, would mean "the first thing" or "the thing that comes before". It is not a preposition. The preposition meaning before is pro.
Toyota should capitalize on this and provide the option to download engine noises for the Prius while in electric-only mode - just like ringtones for cellphones. For $29.99, you will then be able to make your Prius sound like a Ferrari speeding around the corner.
spaceman, i disagree. he'll watch the video, review his asinine comments, and offer a heartfealt apology. i can feel it.
»» Submitted by cubbie at 12:10 AM on May 8
Oh Noes, It's PRIUSGATE!
Can't link from here, but last night Blimp 9 News busted Hizhoner RT getting ready to drive away in his plug-in, soon-to-be solar powered Prius with a suspended license. When asked if he had been driving since his license was suspended in February, he "couldn't recall" -- even though there is surely recent footage of him driving at every local teevee statrion.
The Mayor's communications director is an old friend of mine. I can imagine how his day is going today.
What IS it with elected officials (and would-be elected officials) about paying fees, fines, taxes and the like?
On Rybak--when's the last time you had to pay a speeding ticket, or any other moving violation? Whether it's from the state or the city, those fee schedules are hard to figure out. Note that in the article RT underpaid the ticket. I've had to call the city before to figure out what my actual fine was, even when I knew the violation number. I think this falls under the category of "totally understandable."
»» Submitted by Jared at 10:15 AM on May 9
oops, wrong thread.
»» Submitted by jared at 10:16 AM on May 9
I haven't seen the accident site, but if you've lived in Uptown for, oh, two days, you'd know that "looking both ways" isn't so simple. Cars are parked from corner to corner pretty much any time other than the middle of the workday, so you're always working with blinders. Slowly poking almost halfway into the intersection is just about the only way I know how to see if there's crossing traffic, and once you're that far...
I think there's an apartment building or two on 28th St that houses an unusually large number of blind people. I (used to) see blind folks walking down 28th all the time.
Silent Priora aren't the only concern to be aware of:
"According to the New York Times, strong electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emanating from high voltage power cables located near the driver can be hazardous to your health ..."
I don't think it's a fight for power companies. This is EMF created by a Prius itself ... and the driver would be a lot closer to it than a household a hundred feet away from a high-tension power line.
