Jalopnik: Blind

The Vibering Concept Won't Provide Pleasure, May Protect You From Hybrids

Travis Hudson — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:40:00 EDT

Despite the sexual connotations of the name "Vibering," it's actually a concept in design that's purpose is not to please the nether regions. In actuality, the ring's designed with the blind and/or deaf in mind to protect against THE KILLER PRIUS. The concept sure sounds simple — with two sound-detecting rings and a wristwatch, the Vibering listens for a variety of different sounds, including car engines and honking horns. It will then warn the wearer on the distance and proximity of the car with a series of vibrations. In addition to being able to detect auto noises, the Vibering also listens for common phrases like "Excuse Me" and more. It's only a conceptual design by the design team of Kwang-seok Jeong, Min-hee Kim and Hyun-joong Kim (yeah, we've never heard of them either), but it's a hell of a lot better than the external speaker idea. [Yanko]

Bill Introduced To Protect The Blind From Hybrids

Travis Hudson — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Despite how ridiculous it sounds, the above headline is absolutely true. A bill is being introduced in Congress that will establish some kind of safety standards to protect the walking blind from hybrids. Hybrids and other electric cars pose risks to the blind because they are too quiet. The blind listen for cars when crossing the street and having fleets of too quiet hybrids poses a dangerous risk, New York representative Edolphus Towns said. There's research to prove it too!

A study at the University of California at Riverside showed that hybrids operating at slower speeds must be 40 percent closer to be heard by a blind individual. There aren't any standards set in place, but we would love to see a bill requiring hybrid owners to honk when approaching an intersection. We'll be damned, Al Gore. There is a downside to hybrids! [AP] (Image)

National Federation of the Blind Upset With The Sounds Of Silence From Hybrids

Ray Wert — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:15:00 EDT

We've just heard the National Federation of the Blind believes hybrid cars, when in electric-only mode, are way too silent, and therefore a possible threat to the safety of the visually impaired. According to Deborah Kent Stein, the NFB's chair of their Committee on Automotive and Pedestrian Safety, she claims she's "...used to being able to get sound cues from my environment and negotiate accordingly." In an interview with the Associated Press she says, much to her surprise, she simply has no clue when a hybrid car, running at slow speeds, is approaching. "We did a test, and I discovered, to my great dismay, that I couldn't hear it." Well boo-hoo, Deborah. Don't you know we're saving two koala bears in the arctic or something with every drop of gas we save — isn't that worth the lives of a few people without sight? [World Car Fans]

A Blind Man Gets Nicked for Being 'Defective' Behind the Wheel

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 17:00:00 EDT

So we can't say that we endorse Omed Aziz' actions. The Iraqi native was busted by British coppers for driving in what the chairman of the bench at Warley Magistrates Court termed "a dangerous, defective state." Why? Well, apparently, Mr. Aziz has no eyes, having lost them in a bomb blast in his homeland. What's more, he's hard of hearing and was being guided around by an unlicensed driver. Officer Stuart Edge, who pulled Aziz over, tells a snippet of the tale, "I asked him if he could see me. He removed the dark-coloured sunglasses he was wearing and I could clearly see he was blind as he had no eyes." Man, that had to have been be a bit creepy.

Blind man was 'dangerous' driver [Internal]

Related:
Blind Driver Sets Speed Record in a Maserati [Internal]

Loud Pipes Save Lives: Blind Concerned With Lack of Hybrid Noise

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 07:44:07 EDT

While the goal of most manufacturers is to reduce NVH levels as far as possible, one group is concerned about the run-silent-run-deep modus operandi of hybrid vehicles: the blind. Dependent on the sound of a revving engine to know whether the coast is clear at an intersection, sightless folks are worried about hybrids in electric mode sneaking up on 'em as they attempt to cross the street. At least one school for the blind in Arkansas has been loaned Toyota hybrids by a local dealer so their students can learn the telltale sound of silence.

Hybrid Cars Pose Problem for Visually Impaired [KATV]

Related:
Bind Driver Sets Speed Record in a Maserati [Internal]

Blind Driver Sets Speed Record in a Maserati

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 12:37:49 EDT

He's never seen a car, or a road for that matter, but a South African man became the fastest blind driver in the world last week, when he hit 167mph in a Maserati V8 GranSport. The 33-year-old, along with a sighted navigator, made the run on an airstrip near Botswana. Though no insurer would agree to insure the attempt, it was certified by the Guinness Book. Next up, he plans to fly a Cessna through the Arc d'Triomphe (well, maybe over it).

World's fastest blind driver... [Yahoo! News via AutoMuse]

Related:
Jalopnik Gets Down with the Prancing Horse [internal]