Beware Of The Killer That Is Prius

While I am grateful for the advent and growing popularity of electric/hybird cars, a new awareness needs to unfold for pedestrians and bicyclists. I live by a town, Eugene, Or, that has to have one of the biggest Prius ratios of any town, and Eugene is also very accommodating to cyclists, with marked bike lanes and heavy usage.
The thing is, on Numerous occasions I have been biking and suddenly a Prius sneaks by and scares the beegeebees outta me, because I did not HEAR it! Their silence can be deadly! I decided to add some rear view mirrors to my bike and I would suggest others do the same. www.icebike.org...
Talk about irony, an environmentally conscious dude getting run over by an env consc car!
So heads up bike enthusiasts, and watch out for these cars.

“Electric vehicles and hybrids are alarmingly quiet. The concern is that as a road user, as a pedestrian or as a cyclist, we’re just not aware of their presence. And therefore there’s a real danger that there could be an accident.

The issue is so serious that a manufacturer is now including artificial sound for others to hear, weird, but good I guess.



www.theworld.org...
priuschat.com...

Peace,
spec

*Disclaimer* I am not intending to target just Prius, but rather all electric cars. Prius is just the most common in my area.

I drive a prius and you wouldn't believe how many people get spooked because they didn't hear you coming... Very dangerous indeed

Maybe take off the headphones, stop texting, stop drinking sodas and Aspartame all day, and pay attention at intersections a little better. Instead of banning everything that "can" be dangerous, how about we all exercise a little more caution and be a bit more aware of what we're doing.

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


there should bio proximity sensors that emit a beep when near people or animals.

reply to post by JibbyJedi


You should be a pedestrian on a bike more often to understand this.It is a problem

You have to watch out for the fart smellers! Sorry, South Park reference.

Seriously though, hybrids are dangerous for other reasons too actually. I have heard of fire crews approaching them very carefully after an accident because of the batteries involved. By all means, I want to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help the environment, but a lot of hybrids (Prius) are worse for the environment than a gas burning car. Think about the battery production and how it affects the environment like the mining of the nickel and the shipping around to different countries for battery and car production. In addition paying such a high price for the hybrid, I mean it is just a small 4 door car, seems like you could buy a little 4 door car that is gas burning, and pay about $10k less than the hybrid. That difference buys you a lot of gas!

www.greenhybrid.com...

By all means, I hope this safety issue can be resolved, because I too live where there are just tons of Prius' (or Prii, plural?), and ironically it is in Oregon too, about 45 miles north of where the OP lives. So, I keep my eyes open for those dangerous, environmentallly concious, fart smelling, Prius drivers!

reply to post by JibbyJedi


Good points, but silence is still silence, and even without headphones, there is a bit of natural noise with the wind and tires. I am just saying people should incorporate more awareness, that's all. But yes, paying more attention is paramount, hence this thread.

Peace,
spec

Originally posted by JibbyJedi
Maybe take off the headphones, stop texting, stop drinking sodas and Aspartame all day, and pay attention at intersections a little better. Instead of banning everything that "can" be dangerous, how about we all exercise a little more caution and be a bit more aware of what we're doing.

Why not start banning headphones, text messaging, and sodas instead.

Originally posted by enament
reply to post by JibbyJedi

 

You should be a pedestrian on a bike more often to understand this.It is a problem

I am an active pedestrian and I ride my "silent" mountain bike often. I've had my share of diggers and spills, but never with a car, I could see them clearly and it didn't matter if they were running silent or not. Most people drive and walk in a haze of awareness, good old Fluoride and Aspartame goodness, bad diets, whatever the reasons, it's happening.

reply to post by JibbyJedi

I could see them clearly and it didn't matter if they were running silent or not.

So you have a mirror, or do you just constantly rubber neck it? It is the ones that come up from behind all of a sudden that startle, and in town is more dangerous because of the frequency. But yea, it is easy to slip into the "zone" you describe too, that is why I am suggesting mirrors.

spec

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


I try to keep it under 60mph on my mountain bike so I'm not too worried about them creeping up on me. If I have to make a turn on a busy road, or dead end road, I stop and look around, then continue onward. If I was a bike messenger in Chicago or NYC, might be a different story, being in a rush and all.

reply to post by JibbyJedi

Yea, I have definitely increased my 'looking in all directions,' all the time now, and the mirrors brought much relief and assistance. In town I have encountered a dozen or so Prius' in half an hour scooting by, even at 10mph, they startle, but hey, we gotta pay more attention too.

spec

I absolutely agree with and see the need for noise generators on the hybrid or electric cars. Those are something else to see and never hear drive past in a parking lot or other quiet area where the lack of their noise is deafening.

Having said that, it would be wonderful if bicyclists and some pedestrians took a bit more responsibility for their own situational awareness and safety. There are many GOOD folks riding bicycles for any number of reasons. I just can't help but think of how many morons there are that are the cause of many of these accidents we hear about with hybrids...yet a military marching band on the hood often wouldn't have helped. Perhaps if more folks got the ear buds out, stopped playing with their handheld gizmos or holding conversations on cell phones at the same time, our streets would be far safer for everyone...motorized AND peddle powered.

reply to post by JibbyJedi

very well stated and I would like to add do not ban those who pay for the roads with your eco friendly bike.

If they would like to use the road pay for it, and always obey the same laws I must in my auto.

reply to post by ACTS 2:38

and always obey the same laws I must in my auto.

Very true ACTS! In Eugene they began considering bikes as vehicles that must obey the same road rules. Too many peeps were running stop signs, traversing across the roads, in the wrong direction, frustrating drivers to no end. So I was glad to see efforts to bring responsibility to everyone, since they couldn't seem to do it on their own.

Peace,
spec

Crawl into the car turn up the heat or the A/C to womb level Crank up the radio pop the top on a soda..
Now start the motor you are ready..is that the cell ringing ?
Forget all that and watch out for others !

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


Adds a whole new perspective on the whole "Silent but deadly" saying.

Maybe they can give the car a bad smell?

reply to post by XXXN3O

I was wondering if anyone would catch that!

good point and reminds me of the first sportbike I had had and the constant close calls by other drivers and really did'nt understand until I got a bike with custom exhaust that sounded like a dragster, the danger had been entirely relative to the sound on a side note rock-n-roll ain't noise pollution.