Emitted by Road Vehicles” would be formally released this fall. “Te committee plans to continue
to refine the standard to include development of metric and measurement procedures for changes to pitch and volume for innate and synthetic vehicle sounds,” wrote Timothy P. Mellon, SAE director of government affairs. Mellon also stated that the Vehicle
Sounds for Pedestrians Committee aims to incorporate these refinements into a revised standard before rulemaking commences in mid-2012. According to a NHTSA spokesperson,
the final rule must be published by Jan. 2, 2014, and there will be a three-year phase- in period — so, starting Sept. 1, 2017, all newly manufactured EV and HV vehicles would have to meet the new standard.
TIMING, SOUND OF PROPOSED ALARMS BEING WEIGHED NHTSA has presented five alternatives
outlining various approaches for setting the proposed PEDSAFE standard: the recording of (1) actual ICE sounds, (2) synthesized ICE- equivalent sounds, (3) the combination of these two sounds, (4) synthesized non-ICE sounds that enhance detectability and (5) a “no-action” alternative. “Now that we’ve learned a quieter
fleet could potentially put pedestrians at risk, NHTSA and the Volpe National Transportation Center are testing synthetic sounds,” said Transportation Secretary LaHood. “Tere are technologies on the market
already that include a voice announcement that the bus is preparing to move — I believe that may be the best option for a silent school bus,” said Japikse. “Tis would be preferable to a beeper or buzzer, of which there are already a number in use on buses as warnings of other events.” However, Napa Valley’s Knight
cautioned that the frequency of the alarm, rather than the sound, would determine the effectiveness of these safety alarms. He said that a start-up beeping sound could work like those used by transit buses when kneeling for passenger entry. While this beeping occurs every time transit buses stop, Knight said a pedestrian safety alarm should only sound when drivers turn on
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the ignition — at schools, bus stops or bus garages — or else it could be “overkill.” “Right when they start is the time to
warn people the vehicle is ready to go,” he said. “Most of the time when they’re pulling over to drop off kids, they’re not shutting the bus down. Tat’s where your troubles are — loading and unloading zones.” Knight said that a federal standard
mandating pedestrian safety alarms on all hybrids would have little, if any, impact on student safety. “Not many school districts are using a
lot of hybrid school buses,” said Knight. “I’m a little concerned about how they would choose the alarm and if they would make it a retrofit system. You could get some squawk from districts.” ■
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