Category: Let's talk
although this might be better placed on the rant board, i decided to put it here. rational discussion is better held in
this milieu.
i'd be interested in learning what encounters you have had with hybrid cars. am i alone in experiencing what recently
occured to me? has anyone in the industry taken steps to resolve this situation?
yesterday after lunch, my guide dog sarabelle saved my bacon. as I write this, and remember what happened my heart staarted pounding.
As everyone knows, I walk two miles a day. no brag just fact. With the arthritis I have, this is necessary to keep me
moving.
Anyway, sara and I got to the back driveway to this shopping center which is near our home. both of us stopped. Three
cars exited.
All seemed quiet. we began to cross.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of rolling wheels. Sara immediately stopped. Not six inches in front of us, Some hybrid
handling humanoid halted. if sara hadn’t been so quick and vigilant, the fool would have been buying my
box.
Gentle reader, the answer to the following questions was and is a resounding ‘”no.”
1. Did he/she roll down the window?
2. were the words “ i'm really" sorry" heard by me ?
3. Did i smack his car, scream, and point out to him that the pedestrian has the right of way, in my state we have a
white cane/guide dog law, and that if he'd killed me he'd be paying my descendants to live a very happy and pleasant life?
What this genius did do was burn rubber and head off in to traffic. Too bad the S.O.B., didn’t get t-boned. No you of
gentle sensibilities in the previous sentence That was not a cussin’ acronym. It stood for sweet ol’ boy.
when he drove off, i must admit that i shook my fist and told him to "have a nice day sweetheart." the sad thing is that
the pond scum was probably texting or talking on a cell phone and never knew what happened in front of his face.
Scarey.
It is true that the engines of cars have started to become a lot quieter with the shift to more efficient and renewable energy sources. That definitely makes things more complicated for blind people, who rely on the loud rumbling or at least audible noises of those engines when they cross streets. However, none of that excuses that driver's carelessness. That being said, hybrids are definitely here, and probably staying for a very long time. We will have to devise newer and more clever ways to find ways around them without being run over.
That sounds awful. Glad you're ok.
mad dog you are right. if I am in a quiet area, I can hear most hybrids. in noisy environments like the one described, it is difficult indeed.
Some have an electronic sound generator, but not all.
The best you can do is rely on your guide to help in this situation.
You probably were seen, the driver just chose to beat you, and with a hybrid, that is scary, because you can’t hear that until too late.
Some care and go as fast as 40 to 60 miles per hour with the battery, so the drivers must really watch.
This is not only a problem for the blind, but the visual as well.
Praise that dog.
Oh, and learn to cuss.
Smile.
oh forereel, I can cuss. for 44 years, my dad was in or worked for the army. on weekends he worked in the marine industry. I can cuss at you in five languages. that doesn't mean I want to or I will.
Nothing wrong with the brid; it's hopefully here to stay until we get something better. That said, it wouldn't be hard to have them come with at least SOME noise-making capability, however small. It wouldn't just help those who can't see, either. Lots of people don't pay attention. Heck, big trucks have had beeping sounds when they back up for years. Not that we need something that extreme.
Yep, had me a hybrid do the California stop recently -- Oregon euphemism for people who never come to a complete stop but creep creep forward into the crosswalk.
When they're going pretty slow, there's no tire noise. And when there is tire noise, if it's drowned out by tons of other sounds, could be the end of one of us. And some of the rest of us will probably blame that poor soul for having had bad technique or something if or when that happens. I sincerely hope it does not, but your story rings true here.
something similar happened to me. but instead of comeing out of a parking lot, I was crossing the street, and my dog body blocked me and pushed me back. I felt the gust of wind as the car silently flew by.