Hybrid threat: Deadly silence?

Here's one for the "unintended consequences" file:

At the end of today's Enquirer story about how Duke Energy is testing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Duke software engineer Steve Hinkel says the electric-mode car is so silent that he nearly hit his dog with it. "He didn't hear me pulling into the driveway and nearly walked in front of the car," Hinkel said.

Evidently, this problem goes beyond one off-beat anecdote. There's a growing concern that hybrid vehicles may pose a danger to pedestrians, particularly the visually impaired, who may not be able to hear them coming in time. A study by the University of California-Riverside shows that hybrids operating at low speeds have to be 40 percent closer to pedestrians than conventional cars before they can be heard.

Earlier this month, two U.S. House members introduced a bill that would require the U.S. Transportation Department to, in essence, mandate noisier hybrids. Or maybe we should just mandate that people pay attention while crossing the street.

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