HR0480 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0480 LRB096 12021 GRL 23844 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Many pedestrians in the State of Illinois and throughout the nation have reported being struck or nearly struck by vehicles they did not hear in time to take evasive action; and

WHEREAS, A possible source of these reports is the increasing prevalence of electric-powered or "hybrid" vehicles, which make much less noise than their combustion engine-only counterparts; and

WHEREAS, The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, H.R. 734, legislation recently introduced in the United States House of Representatives, would direct the United States Secretary of Transportation to conduct research into an appropriate sound standard for quiet vehicles, develop the standard, and begin implementation of the standard within two years; and

WHEREAS, The standards that would be developed under this legislation will enhance the safety and independence of blind pedestrians, who must rely on the sounds produced by vehicles to assess their location, speed, and direction of travel in order to avoid being inadvertently struck by them; such standards would also benefit senior citizens, children, and many others who can benefit from multiple-sensory input to avoid such dangers; and

WHEREAS, Such standards would not cause new vehicles to be more expensive or noisy than most currently-operating vehicles and will only serve to combat this rapidly growing threat; and

WHEREAS, The creation of uniform sound standards for vehicles is of great importance to the welfare of the citizens of this State and the nation at large; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we express our support for the passage of "The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act", H.R. 734, in order to create vehicle sound standards that will help the nation's blind, elderly, and young to anticipate and react to these dangers; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, and each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.