MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Transportation finally got serious about something on hybrid cars that we highlighted six years ago on this program. My co-host Robert Siegel was the guide.
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
The once-predictable sounds of a traffic intersection are now changing. So, out to K Street behind our building in Washington, D.C. This is actually a pretty shabby patch of the street that's renowned for lobbyists a little farther west. On our bit of it, the prostitution is not figurative. And here is the sound of a car approaching.
(SOUNDBITE OF CAR)
SIEGEL: Now here's the sound of a hybrid approaching and going past us. That was a pretty subtle sound. And the problem for people who are blind is that the hybrid is the motorized equivalent of a pair of sneakers.
BLOCK: Well, for the first time, on Monday, the Transportation Department proposed minimum sound standards for hybrid and electric vehicles. Cyclists and pedestrians, especially those who are visually impaired, have little warning of an approaching vehicle with a silent engine. So, the National Highway Safety Administration posted some possible sounds to its website, such as this...
(SOUNDBITE OF SOUND)
BLOCK: And this...
(SOUNDBITE OF SOUND)
BLOCK: And this...
(SOUNDBITE OF SOUND)
BLOCK: Well, we think that you, the listener, can come up with some far more interesting and creative sounds for hybrid and electric cars. Please send us your suggestions of existing sounds, perhaps of music...
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
BLOCK: Or maybe a famous quote...
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE")
BLOCK: Or something completely different.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE)
BLOCK: Or you can email us your own suggested sounds for hybrid and electric cars. We ask that they be about 15 seconds long. Send them to alltech@npr.org. You can also go to our website, npr.org, and click on contact us. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.