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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'> seeing-eye@googlegroups.com [mailto:seeing-eye@googlegroups.com] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Ginger Kutsch<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, November 16, 2016 7:44 AM<br><b>To:</b> seeing-eye@googlegroups.com<br><b>Subject:</b> [seeing-eye] New standards for quiet cars<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>FYI. Below is some information about new rules that were issued on November 14 requiring manufacturers of hybrid and electric vehicles to equip them so they will emit a sound when traveling at slow speeds and thus be more detectable by pedestrians, particularly those who have visual disabilities. You will find both the text of a press release and a link to the online release below.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:black'><br><a href="http://www.nhtsa.gov/About-NHTSA/Press-Releases/nhtsa_quiet_car_final_rule_11142016">http://www.nhtsa.gov/About-NHTSA/Press-Releases/nhtsa_quiet_car_final_rule_11142016</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><h1 style='margin-bottom:6.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>NHTSA sets 'Quiet Car' safety standard to protect pedestrians</span><o:p></o:p></h1><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%'><strong><span style='color:black'>NHTSA 27-16</span></strong><b><span style='color:black'><br><strong>Monday, November 14, 2016</strong><br><strong>Contact: <a href="mailto:Public.Affairs@dot.gov">Public.Affairs@dot.gov</a></strong></span></b><o:p></o:p></p><h4 style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%'><span style='color:black'>New requirement of audible alert will help prevent 2,400 pedestrian injuries a year</span><o:p></o:p></h4><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%'><span style='color:black'>WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced that it is adding a sound requirement for all newly manufactured hybrid and electric light-duty vehicles to help protect pedestrians. The new <a href="http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/rulemaking/pdf/QuietCar_FinalRule_11142016.pdf">federal safety standard</a> will help pedestrians who are blind, have low vision, and other pedestrians detect the presence, direction and location of these vehicles when they are traveling at low speeds, which will help prevent about 2,400 pedestrian injuries each year once all hybrids in the fleet are properly equipped.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%'><span style='color:black'>"We all depend on our senses to alert us to possible danger," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "With more, quieter hybrid and electrical cars on the road, the ability for all pedestrians to hear as well as see the cars becomes an important factor of reducing the risk of possible crashes and improving safety."</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%'><span style='color:black'>Under the new rule, all hybrid and electric light vehicles with four wheels and a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less will be required to make audible noise when traveling in reverse or forward at speeds up to 30 kilometers per hour (about 19 miles per hour). At higher speeds, the sound alert is not required because other factors, such as tire and wind noise, provide adequate audible warning to pedestrians.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%'><span style='color:black'>"This is a common-sense tool to help pedestrians — especially folks who are blind or have low vision — make their way safely," said NHTSA Administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind. "With pedestrian fatalities on the rise, it is vitally important we take every action to protect the most vulnerable road users."</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%'><span style='color:black'>Manufacturers have until Sept. 1, 2019, to equip all new hybrid and electric vehicles with sounds that meet the new federal safety standard. Half of new hybrid and electric vehicles must be in compliance one year before the final deadline.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%'><span style='color:black'>"We commend NHTSA on bringing this process to completion," said Eric Bridges, executive director of the American council of the Blind. "This new safety standard moving forward will not just make our streets safer for blind and visually impaired Americans, but also serve as an additional safety cue for all pedestrians who share the streets with hybrid or electric vehicles."</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%'><span style='color:black'>The new standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 141, responds to Congress' mandate in the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act that hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound requirements to provide an audible alert for blind and visually-impaired pedestrians.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%'><span style='color:black'>"Having raised concerns on behalf of blind Americans about the dangers posed by silent hybrid and electric vehicles, the National Federation of the Blind is extremely pleased that technical specifications for a safe level of sound to be emitted by such vehicles have now been issued," said Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. "The full implementation of the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010 will protect all pedestrians, especially the blind, as well as cyclists. This regulation will ensure that blind Americans can continue to travel safely and independently as we work, learn, shop, and engage in all facets of community life."</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:18.0pt'><span style='color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>-- <br>The Seeing Eye<br>Independence with Dignity since 1929<br><br> <br>If you need to contact one of the list owners for <br>> questions or assistance, please use the following email address: <a href="mailto:seeing-eye+owner@googlegroups.com">seeing-eye+owner@googlegroups.com</a>.<br>--- <br>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seeing Eye Discussions" group.<br>To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to <a href="mailto:seeing-eye+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com">seeing-eye+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com</a>.<br>To post to this group, send email to <a href="mailto:seeing-eye@googlegroups.com">seeing-eye@googlegroups.com</a>.<br>To view this discussion on the web visit <a href="https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/seeing-eye/034101d24020%2450985f60%24f1c91e20%24%40ky2d.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer">https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/seeing-eye/034101d24020%2450985f60%24f1c91e20%24%40ky2d.com</a>.<br>For more options, visit <a href="https://groups.google.com/d/optout">https://groups.google.com/d/optout</a>.<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>