Toyota Prius - silent danger

Andrew N

Anyone else think Prius' are a danger to cyclists?

When they run on electric you can't hear them and they stealthily creep up on you!

singlespeedexplosif

they're surely not invisible though?

Ber Nard

they're surely not invisible though?

Exactly. You wouldn't excuse a motorist for not checking their mirror's.

cee

Andrew N wrote:

Anyone else think Prius' are a danger to cyclists?

When they run on electric you can't hear them and they stealthily creep up on you!

what about other bicycles? are they a danger to cyclists? they don't make much noise either.

shm_uk

Anyone else think Prius' are a danger to cyclists?!

No


Dumb cyclists are a danger to Prius' though.

squired

I hope that one day we might have roads filled with silent electric vehicles. Think of the improved quality of life it would give people not having to put up with engine noises (especially those in houses/flats facing onto busy roads). I've seen talk of giving electric cars fake engine noises, which would disappoint me. People need to use their eyes more. If they are looking for electric cars they are also likely to see cyclists too. At the same time, cyclists should be using their eyes to see all potential dangers.

ben100580

Don't worry, they're putting tape players on them.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/e ... 115259.ece

jeremyrundle

Deaf cyclists manage fine and those poor people have to look and be more aware, ban those terrible, over noisy motorbikes. Or bring in a law which limits the Db readings to 90 from them.

OR enforce the one we have already.

Andrew N

Ha! Cyclists should certainly be looking out for cars and I suppose that is my point...

...I rely on my ears to a great extent when commuting and i was a bit freaked out when I saw a car next to me without hearing it!

jonny_trousers

You are absolutely right Andrew. Priuses can sneak up on you in a way that other vehicles cannot and that makes them more of a nuisance to cyclists than other cars. The issue of their environmental credentials is utterly irrelevant as your perfectly reasonable obsevation has nothing to do with that. I've noticed that Prius drivers seem to be particularly ignorant of me when I am cycling too. Why that should be, I have no idea, but it is an observation born of experience.

beverick

Andrew N wrote:

Ha! Cyclists should certainly be looking out for cars and I suppose that is my point...

...I rely on my ears to a great extent when commuting and i was a bit freaked out when I saw a car next to me without hearing it!

I've never yet had a motor vehicle materialise next to me without being visible for some time before they pass by. You can't blame others for your own lack of awareness of your environment.

..and why is the prius any different from other electic vehicles?

Bob

Sanderville

If the OP was talking about Priuses approaching from behind then yes, it can be surprising if they cut you up to turn left - at least you can hear the black cab approach before it cuts your front wheel off. Short of fitting mirrors to your bike there's nothing that a cyclist can do about that though.

Regarding this comment:

squired wrote:

If they are looking for electric cars they are also likely to see cyclists too.

I think that if British drivers are looking for cars then all they'll notice is cars, electric or otherwise. They'll only see bikes if they ride one themselves.

biondino

Yep, silent cyclists can be a meance, no doubt about that!

Also, more noise comes from car tyres on tarmac than most car engines in cruising mode, so it's not like they'll become completely silent until hovercars become the rage (and not those old-fashioned ones that ride on air, they'd make a right racket).

jeremyrundle

Could it be that the old idea of "pushbike" still lays in peoples minds, even a WPC said I had a "pushbike" !!!!!

I may be 52 and ride my Saracen, but I am also on the large size and as I have said I have a minimum of 6 front lights in daylight, yet today heading home a moron cab driver pulled out in front of me, i have a helmet cam and have reported him to the licencing at the Council. Complete with vid.

But people appear to still think cyclists potter around at 5mph.

Like cars, bikes and their brakes, gears, frame and SPEED, improves, boy when I started riding again three years ago wow.....

The last bike I had was 1970 with S.A three speed. Perhaps it is about time we stopped seeing ads for "think bike", when rarely the B&*%%%*%*&y bikers don' think car, what about one for...

"Think Cyclist", anyone local to Tavistock, want to make a PA film with me.

bobbygloss

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

...I've noticed that Prius drivers seem to be particularly ignorant of me when I am cycling too. Why that should be, I have no idea, but it is an observation born of experience.

Have you ever driven a Prius? I've had them as hire cars. There's so much information on the dashboard that you never get chance to look at the road. Diagrams of energy paths from fuel tank to engine, battery to engine, wheels to battery, power levels, charge levels, driving mode. Touch the brakes and watch the battery charge go up. There's even a digital speedometer and economy scale reflected up onto the windscreen.
Fascinating but very distracting.

Zombie_donkey

Prius's have to be less dangerous than Mr Whippy Ice cream vans and they make a loads of noise.

They are a waste of time if you want to save the planet when you think of the environmental impact of making the batteries and then transporting them.

My 15 year old 2.5l Ford Probe V6 has better real world eco-credentials because it's had 4 owners before I got it so its well recycled by now, and with the 3 Cats fitted to it, it doesn't emit much more crap than a Prius either.

rich_e

squired wrote:

I hope that one day we might have roads filled with silent electric vehicles. Think of the improved quality of life it would give people not having to put up with engine noises (especially those in houses/flats facing onto busy roads). I've seen talk of giving electric cars fake engine noises, which would disappoint me. People need to use their eyes more. If they are looking for electric cars they are also likely to see cyclists too. At the same time, cyclists should be using their eyes to see all potential dangers.

I believe the manufacturers of silent vehicles do have teams looking at ways of making them audible, as they do present a risk not just to people not noticing, but you have to remember there are both blind people and deaf people who will have trouble with them.

shouldbeinbed

Sanderville wrote:

Short of fitting mirrors to your bike there's nothing that a cyclist can do about that though.
.

and whats wrong with that?

snailracer

Rich_E wrote:

I believe the manufacturers of silent vehicles do have teams looking at ways of making them audible, as they do present a risk not just to people not noticing, but you have to remember there are both blind people and deaf people who will have trouble with them.

Us cyclists don't really need to worry about silent cars - we are used to not hearing much because of wind noise rushing over our ears.

After a few hundred pedestrians get mown down, there'll be such an outcry the manufacturers will be forced to retrofit loudspeakers onto them, if they didn't have them to start with. I'm not talking about blind peds, either, just the normal, sighted, dozy variety that will step out into the road without looking if they can't hear a motor coming.

cyberknight

I dont think you can force a car manufacturer to stick a noise on a car because people are too stupid to look before crossing a road...

bumpitybump

If you think the Prius scary as a hybrid try of one of these
http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/car-and-driving/t/lexus-rx400h-1004691.html

One of the local mums round here has the silent at low speeds Lexus RX400h. It has scared the life out of me on one ocassion. I was about to turn right and couldn't hear any car behind me so I was just doing the briefest of cursory safety checks over my shoulder when I saw this 6 foot tall 1 ton silver mummy wagon steathly trailing about 5 metres behind me! :shock:
Since then I've trusted my hearing less when cycling and made a note to do more life saver looks!