(MS) -- Gas-guzzling SUVs are collecting dust on automotive dealership lots while the latest crop of hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles continue to top sales. Car buyers are catching on to the fact that hybrids can save money on fuel as well as save the planet. However, whenever a good thing is discovered, it's not too long before a potential pitfall arises that begs the question, "Is this purchase worth it?"
Case in point is the recent publicity that hybrids, while a boon to the environment, may, in one respect, be a tad more dangerous than their gas-guzzling cousins. Their virtually silent operation at low speeds can make hybrids a danger to vision-impaired individuals and others who rely on audible clues before crossing the nation's roadways.
Dangers are most apparent on residental streets and where traffic is slow-go. At lower speeds, hybrids run off of batteries, which means the engine makes almost no noise. It's not until the hybrid accelerates for use on a highway or where higher speed limits are allowed that the louder gasoline engine kicks in on the vehicle.
Blind individuals have become adept at thriving in a society generally geared to those who can see. Usually sound and touch are a big part of getting around independently. Vision-impaired people typically listen for the sounds of cars so they can determine speed and direction of the vehicle and if it's safe to step off the curb. Hybrids are changing all of that.
"Everybody that we've talked to on the engineering side says that there are technical fixes," says Fred Schroeder, a vice president at the National Federation of the Blind. "But, we've contacted the major car manufacturers many times and really not had a response from them."
Blind people are not the only ones at risk. Even people with perfect vision rely on their other senses to alert themselves to danger. If you're attempting to cross the street or maneuver around a busy parking lot, before you see a car in motion you often get sound signals that there's a motor running.
Car manufacturers say they're considering options and are aware of the sound issue regarding hybrids. Toyota, which leads the hybrid pack, with 500,000 hybrids sold since 2000, is studying the issue, says a company spokesperson.
Suggestions for eliminating the problem range from simply installing some sort of noise device on the car to manufacturing a motion-detecting device a blind person could use to be alerted to moving cars.
Time will tell what technology will bring. Still, across the board hybrids are a safe, reasonably affordable, and environmentally friendly option, say automotive experts. Keep in mind, however, if you are driving a hybrid at low speeds, use extra caution and always keep your eyes on the road.
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