The RAC’s Queensland branch known as RACQ has launched a new research project in the Australian state to assess the risk that ‘low noise’ hybrid vehicles may pose to pedestrians.
The motoring organisation will be provided with expert advice from charities for the blind, Vision Australia and Guide Dogs Queensland throughout the project.
Explaining why the organisation has decided to investigate the issue, RACQ Technical Researcher Russell Manning said US research into the potential danger posed by hybrid vehicles had produced conflicting results, with one study concluding they presented a higher risk to pedestrians and another finding the opposite.
“These US-based tests were each flawed to some degree, as one didn’t use real hybrid vehicles and the other didn’t replicate a real street crossing environment,” he said.
“We’ve taken the initiative to test real hybrid vehicles in real Australian conditions using real people, only then can we determine the potential danger.”
Blind adventurer Gerrard Gosens, a special projects manager at Vision Australia, will be helping RACQ carry out the research project.
Mr Gosens said the research involved volunteers who were sighted, blind and had low vision, in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the risk hybrids posed.
“Pedestrians rely heavily on hearing to identify the distance and speed of nearby vehicles,” he said.
“Because of this, RACQ’s research is critical to gauging whether the quieter hybrids pose a danger, not just to people who are blind or have low vision, but to all pedestrians.”
The vehicle testing will take place at Lakeside Raceway in Brisbane over two days and involve a mix of sighted, blind and low vision volunteers. Sighted volunteers will be blindfolded so both groups are reliant on their hearing to identify when a vehicle is approaching.
The project will utilise two of the most popular hybrid vehicles on the Australian market for the practical research, along with equivalent conventional vehicles. RACQ expects to release the results by July this year.
