Boy hit by soundless electric vehicle
The issue of soundless vehicles
A young boy aged 5 years old was struck by an electric vehicle in the carpark of Baldoyle industrial estate. The boy and his family were crossing the carpark when the vehicle pulled out without warning and collided with the child leaving him with a fractured lower leg.
There was no warning as the vehicle did not make any sound and the family was taken off guard. The boy was rushed to the hospital immediately and was out of school for 3 weeks.
The incident went to court where the case was settled for €55,000.
Unfortunately, this may be one of the downsides of electric vehicles.
These vehicles that are green, clean and make little noise were seen originally as a great asset, although they are now proving to be more troublesome as with the case seen above. They pose a few concerns when it comes to safety especially for pedestrians or cyclists who may not be able to hear them.
This issue has been looked at and all new vehicles must now emit a noise when travelling at speeds below 20km in order for others to hear them and all-electric vehicles currently on the road to be eventually fitted with these devices.
With these devices fitted it will prevent many avoidable accidents and make the roads safer for all. Which means we can keep going green.
Author
Justin Kavanagh
Justin Kavanagh is a recognised leader
in automotive intelligence and vehicle
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He has almost 20 years experience in
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