[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S4519]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KERRY (for himself and Mr. Specter):
  S. 841. A bill to direct the Secretary of Transportation to study and 
establish a motor vehicle safety standard that provides for a means of 
altering blind and other pedestrians of motor vehicle operation; to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Pedestrian 
Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 with Senator Specter. This bill is 
designed to ensure that those with limited or no vision are able to 
identify electric and hybrid vehicles as they travel down the road. I 
am a strong supporter of increasing the number of electric and hybrid 
electric vehicles on our roads because they will limit our dependence 
on foreign oil and help limit pollution. However, the silent operation 
of hybrid vehicles has created a potentially hazardous situation for 
some pedestrians with limited or no vision. Too often, vision impaired 
individuals are unable to hear hybrid cars as they pass by them. This 
makes it more difficult for them to get around.
  While I am thankful that there will be less noise on the street, we 
should be fair to those among us who use senses other than sight to 
navigate the streets. The bill directs the Secretary of Transportation 
to study and establish a motor vehicle safety standard that provides 
for a means of alerting vision impaired pedestrians of motor vehicle 
operation. This bill requires that solutions to this problem are 
studied and the best of these solutions is implemented in a timely 
manner.
  I ask all my colleagues to support this legislation.
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