Blind Center Research to be Prominent in Developing International Standard

Hybrid Vehicle Being Calibrated

Throughout the world, the number of electric and hybrid electric vehicles is increasing at a steady rate. Electric drive vehicles such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and all-electric vehicles (EVs) traveling at low speeds are essentially silent. These very quiet vehicles present a hazard for pedestrians, including blind and visually impaired individuals.

As a result, the World Blind Union (WBU) in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is working with the United Nations to develop an international minimum sound standard for electric and hybrid electric vehicles. The standard would require electric and hybrid vehicles to be equipped with a sound generating device known as an: “Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS).”

On December 12, 2014, the United Nations posted a draft international regulation for the AVAS. The draft AVAS regulation includes a requirement that the device emit an overall sound level of 50 DBA when the vehicle is traveling at a speed of 10 KPH and 56 DBA when traveling at 20 KPH. The WBU/NFB is concerned that the minimum overall sound level requirements for the AVAS delineated in the draft regulation may be too low to insure the safety of blind and visually impaired pedestrians.

The Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness (PDRIB) at Louisiana Tech University is conducting human trials to determine if the set standards provide sufficient sound to be safe for pedestrians (including those who are blind). During the week of April 20-23, the PDRIB conducted trials with blind pedestrians and blindfolded adults. During these trials, vehicles with and without the AVAS standard traveled in front of these individuals and measures were captured to determine at what distance the new sound standard can be heard.

The results of the research conducted at Louisiana Tech University demonstrated that in fact, the sound being emitted by the AVAS system was too low to provide meaningful warning to pedestrians. The data demonstrated no significant difference in the time that pedestrians could hear the approaching sound of a “quiet” electronic vehicle and the approach of a quiet vehicle using the AVAS alert system. These data are quiet troubling, and suggest that the United Nations needs to do much more work before such a standard can be adopted.

All Electric Chevy Volt Being Tested

When contacted for comment, Dr. Fredric Schroeder, first vice president of the World Blind Union, stated that "the work of the PDRIB and its director Dr. Edward Bell is impressive and important with its current research regarding the quiet car issue being only the latest example of the difference he and the institute are making. He further stated that, "without the real-life testing of the alert device by Dr. Bell and his team, we would have no way of knowing whether the proposed technical committee standard will safeguard blind pedestrians or leave them subject to preventable accidents and injury. There are 258 million blind and visually impaired people in the world. Without the help of Dr. Bell and Louisiana Tech University, the independence of these individuals would be seriously limited. That means fewer jobs, less access to education, less participation in community life, all preventable."

During the week of May 11, 2015, Dr. Bell presented these findings to the United Nations committee in Seoul, South Korea to consider in making its determination on whether to accept this standard for all future electric and hybrid vehicles. Although the final outcome of that meeting is not yet known, the data collected here in Ruston, Louisiana during these human trials has played a significant role in  educating the United Nations and international automobile manufacturers as to the efficacy of the systems and standards they are proposing.

AVIS Delivery System

Dr. Bell stated that Louisiana Tech University is at the forefront in innovative research in the area of education and rehabilitation for the blind, and the work we are doing here will be used to make the world a safer place for blind (and sighted) pedestrians in the future. We are proud to represent Louisiana Tech University and are confident in the impact that our research will have on the United Nations and auto manufacturers as they seek to make vehicles that are both environmentally friendly and safe for pedestrians.