Representatives of organizations for the blind community have expressed concern that the proliferation of new propulsion technologies, such as those used in all-electric or hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), can negatively affect pedestrian safety, especially blind pedestrians. At low to moderate speeds, these vehicles are relatively quiet and therefore make it difficult for blind pedestrians to hear approaching vehicles since they depend on sound cues to detect them. After learning of this problem, NHTSA began working through the SAE to learn more about the problem and identify ways to address the safety issue. In June 2008, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) held a public meeting of interested stakeholders to discuss the safety of blind pedestrians encountering quieter cars and the relevant technical and safety policy issues. At the conclusion of the meeting NHTSA agreed to establish a docket for information on the issue and draft a research plan that it would share with the National Federation of the Blind and the auto companies before it was finalized. NHTSA developed this plan to fully examine this safety concern and to identify how to minimize risks to blind pedestrians. The goals of this plan are to examine the blind pedestrian safety risk associated with quieter cars, to identify possible countermeasures, and evaluate their potential effectiveness and acceptability. To address these goals, the following objectives are proposed: 1. Characterize the safety problem. 2. Identify requirements for blind pedestrians’ safe mobility (emphasizing acoustic cues from vehicles and ambient conditions). 3. Identify potential. (Author/publisher)
Abstract