Adding Sound to Electric Vehicles Improves Pedestrian Safety #ASA181

Electric vehicles are so quiet they can create a safety concern. To address this, many governments have mandated artificial sounds be added. In the U.S., regulations require vehicle sounds to be detectable at certain distances for various speeds, and researchers have tested how well people detect electric vehicle sounds in terms of these requirements. Participants in the study were seated adjacent to a lane of the test facility and pressed a button upon hearing an approaching electric vehicle. This allowed the researchers to measure the probability of detection versus distance from the vehicle.