Kelly figured out that her daily errands take her six miles each way from home. She wondered if we might trade one of our gas vehicles in for an all-electric one, which would comfortably fit that range. If we can find one thats affordable and doesn’t roll to a stop just outside of walking distance from where it started, we might give it a try. But there is another drawback to an electric car (or benefit, depending on how you look at it): they’re whisper quiet.
One thing I’ve noticed in my months of biking to work is how attuned people are to the sound of an approaching car or truck. Many times I’ll cringe as people open their car doors or walk out in front of me, paying no attention to the bike closing in on them. And its not just a matter of of not seeing me: they don’t even look for me. My bike is not loud enough.
If your vehicle isn’t making a racket, expect to brake for all kinds of chaos.
I have a solution from my childhood. You use clothes pins to clip a card onto the bike so that it hits the spokes as the wheel turns. You’ll sound just like a 50 Ford with a broken header pipe. 🙂
Blind people have the same problem: many of the hybrid cars are so quiet when they’re running on electricity that it’s extremely difficult to hear them.
http://www.hybridcars.com/safety/blind-people-hybrid-safety.html