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Thursday, April 19, 2007 UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: Hybrids too quiet for blind By DEBBIE ROBERTS Brent Deehan pauses as he prepares to walk across a busy street. Blind, he must rely on the sounds of passing traffic to help alert him to danger. Now, something is missing.
With the advent of hybrid vehicles comes a new challenge for blind pedestrians who rely on auditory senses while traveling independently within their communities. Hybrid automobiles, such as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight, are a cross between a gasoline-powered car and an electric car. The vehicles are quieter because the gasoline engine shuts off automatically when the vehicle is stopped and and, in some cases, the engine might not come back on until it reaches a speed of 25 to 30 mph. Deehan, 19, a student at the Conklin Center for the Blind in Daytona Beach, is still learning independent travel skills. Born with an inherited disease called Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a disorder that affects parts of the body, including the retina, he is determined not to let blindness stop him from living a productive life. And just like many people, he enjoys going for walks, even though it sometimes means crossing busy intersections. “I have to use the traffic sounds for my guide — wait for the right part of the traffic cycle to know when to cross the street,” Deehan said. “I can’t hear the hybrids when they come by me, so it makes it much harder.” Because there are no set skills available to teach the visually impaired about hybrids, it’s up to the drivers to help minimize risk factors, said Robert Kelly, executive director of the Conklin Center. "It's impressive that these cars can be manufactured and be as quiet as they are, but an unanticipated consequence is that people who are blind are facing a real challenge with the silence of these cars," Kelly said. Kelly recently attended the 2007 Florida Vision Summit in the Capitol Complex in Tallahassee where hybrid cars were a hot topic, he said. "One point repeatedly made at the summit by blind people was the high risk associated with hybrid cars and independent travel," Kelly said. That's a big reason why the Florida Association of Agencies Serving the Blind, which sponsored the summit, is urging lawmakers this year to conduct a study of the effectiveness of the White Cane law and its enforcement, he said. This statute states that all vehicles must stop when a person carrying a white cane enters the street. Tricia Smith of DeLand, an orientation and mobility specialist at the Conklin Center, said it takes tremendous courage for blind pedestrians to cross any street. Add hybrid cars to this often intimidating task and the potential for disaster increases, she said. "I can understand wanting to cut down on some environmental nuisances, but as a mobility instructor I prefer the noises," she said. The Florida Lions Conklin Center for the Blind at 405 White Street in Daytona Beach is a nationally accredited human service organization. For more information, visit www.conklincenter.org or call (386) 258-3441. Florida’s ‘White Cane Law’ “Whenever a pedestrian is crossing, or attempting to cross, a public street or highway, guided by a dog guide or carrying in a raised or extended position a cane or walking stick which is white in color or white tipped with red, the driver of every vehicle approaching the intersection or place where the pedestrian is attempting to cross shall bring his or her vehicle to a full stop before arriving at such intersection or place of crossing and, before proceeding, shall take such precautions as may be necessary to avoid injuring such pedestrian.” Florida Statute 316.1301 (2) Did You Know? Nationally, in 2005, there were 43,443 fatalities involving motor vehicle crashes. Of these, 25,347 were the result of road departure, 9,188 were intersection-related and 4,881 were pedestrians, according to the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Safety. SOURCE: safety.fhwa.dot.gov/index.htm |
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