I bought a Prius over the summer. Halfway through the test drive, my fiancee asked the salesman if he was aware that electric cars have caused issues for blind pedestrians since they don’t hear the cars coming. His response (after an awkward silence where he no doubt considered whether his answer would lose him the sale) was “Well, it comes with a horn.”
Apparently, Chevy had the same idea, and they met with the National Federation for the Blind to discuss the best way to implement an alert system. Rather than use a traditional horn noise, they are trying slightly different noises, with the same intention: alert a pedestrian that a car is coming. This solution is driver-controlled, so it still requires being alert and paying attention! Check out Chevy’s video of their tests, and then share in the comments what you think the alert noise should be. Personally, I’d like a button to make my car play Darth Vader’s theme music...it will definitely alert people!
via Engadget