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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Many pedestrians in the State of Illinois and
3 throughout the nation have reported being struck or nearly
4 struck by vehicles they did not hear in time to take evasive
5 action; and
 
6     WHEREAS, A possible source of these reports is the
7 increasing prevalence of electric-powered or "hybrid"
8 vehicles, which make much less noise than their combustion
9 engine-only counterparts; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, H.R. 734,
11 legislation recently introduced in the United States House of
12 Representatives, would direct the United States Secretary of
13 Transportation to conduct research into an appropriate sound
14 standard for quiet vehicles, develop the standard, and begin
15 implementation of the standard within two years; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The standards that would be developed under this
17 legislation will enhance the safety and independence of blind
18 pedestrians, who must rely on the sounds produced by vehicles
19 to assess their location, speed, and direction of travel in
20 order to avoid being inadvertently struck by them; such
21 standards would also benefit senior citizens, children, and
22 many others who can benefit from multiple-sensory input to

 

 

HR0480 - 2 - LRB096 12021 GRL 23844 r

1 avoid such dangers; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Such standards would not cause new vehicles to be
3 more expensive or noisy than most currently-operating vehicles
4 and will only serve to combat this rapidly growing threat; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The creation of uniform sound standards for
6 vehicles is of great importance to the welfare of the citizens
7 of this State and the nation at large; therefore, be it
 
8     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
9 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
10 express our support for the passage of "The Pedestrian Safety
11 Enhancement Act", H.R. 734, in order to create vehicle sound
12 standards that will help the nation's blind, elderly, and young
13 to anticipate and react to these dangers; and be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15 presented to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United
16 States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority
17 Leaders of the United States Senate, and each member of the
18 Illinois congressional delegation.