This article from Wired News got my dander up today. Summed up, some are calling on Toyota to make the Prius noisier, because…

As hybrids become more popular, blind pedestrians have a new threat to contend with. The National Federation of the Blind is calling on the auto industry to make hybrid vehicles emit more noise — before there’s a rash of injuries and deaths.

I like my Prius quiet, thankyouverymuch. Isn’t this backwards, though? The National Federation of the Blind should really be calling upon all drivers, whether of Mack trucks or the Toyota Prius, to stay the heck out of intersections when people are in them. One of the first things I learned in Drivers’ Ed 101:

Pedestrians have the right-of-way, inside or outside crosswalks.

If we follow that rule, the blind should be perfectly safe from the silent Prius, provided that the driver of the Prius knows the basics of auto safety. Perhaps the National Federation of the Blind should call upon law enforcement to actually uphold that simple rule by ticketing drivers who think they own the road, crosswalks, and sidewalks.

Is it just me, or is there a growing tendency to ignore the obvious and in-place safeguards in favor of expecting ‘fix-its’ from the corporations?

(Disclosure: I love the Prius, loveitloveitloveit and wouldn’t change a thing, except possibly owning a second one. I am completely biased and proud of it.)

Technorati Tags: Toyota, Prius, corporate liablity