Obama Signs Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act Into Law
President Obama has been busy signing a number of bills into law today, including the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, which, according to the Congressional Research Service
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study and report to Congress on the minimum level of sound that is necessary to be emitted from a motor vehicle, or some other method, to alert blind and other pedestrians of the presence of operating motor vehicles while traveling.
But that’s not all. Once the SecTrans determines the minimum standard for alerting blind pedestrians to a vehicle’s presence, he is required to
initiate rulemaking to promulgate a motor vehicle safety standard
(1) establishing performance requirements for an alert sound that allows blind and other pedestrians to reasonably detect a nearby electric or hybrid vehicle operating below the cross-over speed, if any; and
(2) requiring new electric or hybrid vehicles to provide an alert sound conforming to the requirements of the motor vehicle safety standard established under this subsection.
Let’s hope Secretary LaHood takes the time to read David Holzman’s treatise on the topic before setting anything in stone. Read the whole thing here.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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How many pedestrians get struck by cars while listening to their ipods? We're gonna need some more laws....
I didn't know the Leaf was powered by a gas turbine. All along, I thought it was pure electric.
Can't they put a playing card in the spokes?
I say we should be able to hack the noisemaker and flash our own noises onto it. My personal choice would be the 5 minute drum solo from Ina-Goda-Davida.