Personal Injury Law

Rescue, Blind Pedestrian Dangers Posed By Hybrids

By Jane Akre

Lexus GS 450h Hybrid, 2006 

Hybrids Silent Danger

As hybrids emerge as the car most likely to beat the rising cost of gasoline, safety proponents say they pose problems for the blind and emergency crews trying to help you following an accident.

Advocates for the blind say that the quiet engine of a Prius is a danger to blind pedestrians who may not hear an approaching car.  Researchers at the University of California-Riverside found that blind subjects could identify an approaching conventional vehicle about 28 feet away, but couldn't hear a hybrid until it was seven feet away - about one second from impact.  

Safety advocates are pushing for measures that would make hybrids and other electric vehicles easier to hear.   The safety measures aren't just for the blind. With a quiet engine it's difficult to know whether a hybrid's engine is running and the car is in gear, making it possible to lurch forward and run over the unsuspecting.

Danger of Electric Jolt

Emergency responders across the country are increasingly receiving specialized training for work with hybrids.

At Marquette General Hospital in Michigan, where they teach hybrid safety classes for rescue workers, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are warned about the 12-volt battery under the hood and another under the back seat that can deliver a 600-volt jolt, enough to cause instantaneous death.

MSNBC reports in the first-response manual for the Nissan Altima Hybrid it says, "Failure to disable the high voltage electrical system before emergency response procedures are performed may result in serious injury or death from electrical shock." 

Government safety tests offer assurances that high-voltage batteries are sealed and protected from explosion while hybrid engines are packed with sensors that stop the flow of electricity if there is a collision or when side air bags deploy. 

Safety advocates warn that the system works if the sensors have not been damaged. 

How Do You Turn It Off?

Switching off the ignition is the best way to disable a hybrid, but it's not foolproof.

Power can remain for five minutes to the Prius. The Lexus GS450h can remain powered up for as long as 10 minutes, reports Toyota. 

Disabling power to the 12-volt battery will block power to the bigger and more dangerous battery, but how to do that differs with various vehicles.

Battery cable color is not consistent. Emergency workers will find a battery line in orange, unless it's a Saturn where some of the cables are blue.  On the Honda, crews must remove the main fuse and cut cables on the 12-volt battery, reports MSNBC. On the Lexus GS450h, remove a yellow fuse, while on the Lexus RX400h it's a red fuse.

Toyota has developed a guide for EMTs to study for their Lexus, Camry, Prius, Highlander and Rav4 vehicles that have hybrid and alternative fuel engines.

All of this means for the consumer in an accident in a hybrid, rescue crews may need to take extra time to disable the dangers posed by a hybrid before they get to help you.   #

Full post as published by InjuryBoard on June 08, 2009 (boomark / email).