On 1/10/2013 6:14 PM, Metspitzer wrote:
The Department of Transportation is proposing new regulations that
would require hybrid and electric cars to make more noise when their
engines are running. The rules are designed to make it easier for
nearby pedestrians to hear the traditional quiet automobiles when they
are approaching. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the change
would make it easier for hybrid and electric car drivers to share the
road.

"Safety is our highest priority, and this proposal will help keep
everyone using our nation's streets and roadways safe, whether they
are motorists, bicyclists or pedestrians, and especially the blind and
visually impaired," LaHood said in a statement released by the DOT.
Under the requirement, cars would be required to be heard above
typical street noises when they are traveling at speeds less than 18
miles per hour.

--
Stephanie: What did you do today?
Leonard Hofstadter: Well, I'm a physicist, so I just thought about stuff.
Stephanie: That's it?
Leonard Hofstadter: I wrote some of it down.

Sort of reminds me of the old Western Electric company from the early
days when they used to make vacuum cleaners. They had an excellent
unit, that had more suction than the competition, but couldn't sell
them. Why? They were too quiet and the users perceived them to not be
as powerful as the noisy competition!