[bwilson4web]

In October 2005, I began commuting in my Prius and was somewhat surprised when of all the criticisms, I heard a new one about "Prius and blind people." I didn't understand what was going on but soon enough learned. I've followed the issue closely and sad to say, S.841 passed and was signed into law in January of this year. But part of the law is to issue an environmental impact statement and that can be found in www.regulations.gov. No problem, except now a number of articles have shown up attempting to defend the indefensible:

http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=231364

But what is different about Design News is the readership is a little . . . different . . . like me. So when this hacked article showed up, there were comments and yet someone understood when I commented:

bwilson4web 7/19/2011 9:16:37 PM

The blind suffer about 5 fatalities each year and easily +25 medical treatment injuries. They probably have another 100 or so non-reported, close calls and knock-downs. I am sympathetic to their plight but sound has led them down a technologically dead end.

I don't mind adding a noise maker but have no illusions about how effective it will be. The natural opposition to S.841 won't form until the Congressionally mandated noise makers show up on the streets. We know this because the Leaf in the UK has already been muted when the neighbors complained.

As for the "Automotive Alliance," the Prius and all hybrids are less than 3% of all vehicle sales yet the funders of the "Automotivie Alliance" have been directly or through their agents anti-hybrid . . . until the recent increase in gas prices and a serious CAFE challenge. But they don't mind if the Prius and other hybrids and EVs 'get a black eye' from this legislation. Former Congressman Dave McCurdy led this effort and has left the "Automotive Alliance." Regardless of where he goes, the shame follows.

As for politicians, the Prius has replaced the 'Volvo' that was used in the 2004, anti-Dean commercial. The Prius has become the new symbol of 'the hippy' and there is a great game in DC called,"Whack a Hippy" (thanks to Rachael Maddow.) But there is a bloody, deadly serious problem, a 'blood on the streets' problem of not only pedestrian but also Prius accidents.

I have spent the last year recording every Prius, fatal accident via Google News because the FARS database is just numbers. By the time we see the numbers, the details of each accident have faded into forgotten police reports filed away . . . somewhere. What I see is a pattern of accidents including lane departures and failure to stop. Not every accident and certainly not every case but a significant portion. But instead of getting a Toyota option for the Prius, their accident avoidance and lane following option, being made available for any Prius, it remains the highest priced, last option after every other silly eye-candy has been put on the car.

In March of 2009, I had to decide on which Prius we would buy but the accident avoidance and lane following option required paying an extra $8,000 to add that $2,000 option. I would easily have bought it for my wife's Prius and WOULD DO IT TODAY ... if I didn't have to waste, to burn up $8,000 on Toyota crap options that have nothing to do with safety.

Sorry if I seem bitter but I am of the opinion every D*mn Toyota and NHTSA employee should read the Prius accident reports and every year be asked,"What did you do to prevent this?" <GERRRRRR>

Thanks Dave, it is nice to know there are real people who work on facts and data . . . but we have $41,000 of Prius, two of them, sitting in our driveway and I commute in one daily. This is personal.

Bob Wilson, Huntsville, AL 35802

Thank you for your patience but blood on the streets, the dead in their graves and injured with memories of their pain . . . this is a sobering reality.

Bob Wilson