The United States’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reportedly given US automakers another six months to meet “quiet car” regulations requiring electric and hybrid vehicles emit audible sounds for the blind and visually impaired.
According to reports, the NHTSA cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason it was extending the deadline, and further, that it was now seeking public comment on whether to extend the deadline by a full year, as requested in April by a group of major automakers.
The “quiet car” regulations date back to 2010 when the NHTSA tasked the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center of the US Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration to examine the issue of quieter cars and the safety of pedestrians who are blind.
This was specifically directed at investigating quieter cars such as electric and hybrid vehicles, which by their very nature emit much less noise than a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.
“The primary concern is when HEVs operate using their electric motor systems at slow speeds when other auditory cues from tires and wind noise are less dominant,” wrote the authors of a 2010 report.
“A perceived reduction in the sound emitted by these vehicles creates a safety concern because these sounds are often the best or only source of information that pedestrians who are blind use to avoid conflicts.
“A significant reduction in auditory cues from vehicles may impact the ability of pedestrians who are blind to travel safely.”
Full compliance with the “quiet car” regulations was originally intended to go into effect on September 1, but the NHTSA has agreed with carmakers that the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted their ability to deliver on these regulations, and has subsequently extended its full compliance deadline to March 1, saying that it believes the six-month delay “strikes a reasonable balance between providing necessary regulatory relief and implementing” the requirements as quickly as possible, according to a Reuters report.
The National Federation of the Blind praised the NHTSA’s decision in a joint statement with the auto trade group Alliance for Automotive Innovation:
“Auto Innovators, our members, and the National Federation of the Blind appreciate the Department of Transportation’s decision. The action by DOT recognizes the need for a balance between the industry’s urgency to act, and the unforeseen disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Earlier this year, all North American auto manufacturing facilities shut down for the first time since World War II, which impacted the ability of manufacturers to fully implement the quiet car rule.
DOT’s grant of limited flexibility will help ensure that the public, and particularly blind, low-vision, and other road users, will have the important safety benefits of sound-generating systems on electric and hybrid electric vehicles without unnecessary delay.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.