Toronto, October 15, 2015
The
white cane is recognized across the world as the international symbol of
blindness and mobility, and that is why the World Blind Union (WBU) has chosen
to focus on the issue of silent cars and their effects on mobility for blind
and low-vision persons for White Cane Safety Day 2015.
Shared spaces are becoming increasingly common in our communities,
where pedestrians, vehicles and cyclists use the same space for transit. This
increased complexity can make mobility more difficult for persons who have low-vision
and blindness, especially when combined with newer technologies that make
vehicles quieter, and therefore less detectable. When traveling at
speeds under 20 kilometers an hour, hybrid and electric vehicles are
essentially silent and many blind and low-vision persons depend on vehicle
noise to know when it is safe to cross roads. Silent cars
also pose a significant risk for all pedestrians, sighted and non-sighted, as
quiet cars are 40% more likely than audible cars to be involved in a collision
with a pedestrian.
The WBU wholeheartedly supports new, cleaner technologies
for vehicles, including hybrid and electric cars, which are better for the
environment. However, the dangers posed by hybrid
and electric vehicles are real and serious for blind and low-vision pedestrians
all over the world. New technologies must be designed and manufactured
in a way that takes blind and partially-sighted persons’ needs into account, as
called for by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
and its principles of universal and inclusive design.
For
the past several years, the UN has been working to address the hazards posed by
quiet vehicles. The World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations
(WP.29) and its subsidiary, the Working Party on Noise (GRB), as well as the
Quiet Road Transport Vehicles Informal Working Group (QRTV), are the three UN
bodies involved in the regulation process. The QRTV originally set-out to
develop a global technical regulation for a mandatory Audible
Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS). Unfortunately, this working
group’s mandate has been narrowed and it is now moving towards a standard that
would only apply in certain countries, not including countries such as the USA
and China. We are disappointed by this move away from a global regulation.
The WBU fully supports a global standard for
an AVAS that will: 1) ensure that an alert device is loud enough to provide
adequate warning about the presence and movement of hybrid and electric
vehicles; 2) prohibit a pause switch that would enable the driver to turn off
the alert device whenever he or she finds the sound annoying; and 3) require
that the quiet vehicle emit an alert sound while stationary, such as when
stopped at a traffic light.
The WBU calls on all governments and
regulators to support a global technical standard that reflects the QRTV’s
original mandate. WBU members, and all other likeminded stakeholders, can
contact their WP.29 members and encourage them to insist that our concerns be
incorporated into any final international regulation. For more information on
the WP.29 and its members, follow this link: www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/introduction.html
The World Blind Union (WBU) also has a Position
Statement on this issue (www.worldblindunion.org/English/ resources/Pages/Policy-Papers.aspx), which
highlights the need for an AVAS in order to keep blind and low-vision
pedestrians, alongside all other pedestrians, safe and fully mobile in all
cities and communities across the globe.
The World Blind Union
(WBU) is the global organization representing the estimated 285 million people
worldwide who are blind or partially sighted. Members consist of
organizations run by blind people advocating on their own behalf, and
organizations that serve the blind, in over 190 countries, as well as
international organizations working in the field of vision impairment.
For further
information, contact:
World
Blind Union
Caitlin Reid
Communications
Coordinator
Caitlin.Reid@wbu.ngo