Do you think that electric cars should make noise? I wrote a story for The Times Wednesday on the growing movement to ensure that these nearly silent vehicles emit tones to warn the blind and other pedestrians of their approach. As might have been expected, it sparked a debate



More...

 

All electrics make some kind of noise

 

Not enough of a sound that you can hear them, kids already don't hear regular cars, I've never had a kid run out in front of my diesel, yet but it's happened several times with the smaller cars I've owned in the past.

But mandating silent cars make noise gets into the issue of regulating another expense to cater to the lowest common denominator. I don't know that emitting a sound is going to help deaf or hearing impaired all that much. I do see how a near silent car potentially makes it more dangerous but not enough to mandate noise emission devices.

When I was a kid growing up in town, it wasn't the loud vehicles that kept me from getting hit, it was the fear of discipline that kept me from runnin' out in the street. Dad had an oak wood paddle, that was a good deterrent. People aught to be responsible for their own kids and responsible when they're behind the wheel in a neighborhood.