Blind pedestrians safe and sound after Euro vote

North East campaigners are celebrating after MEPs voted to make electric and hybrid cars louder to protect vulnerable pedestrians. The new rules will remove the risk posed by silent cars to partially sighted and blind road users.

The danger of quiet vehicles came to prominence after a campaign by the Guide Dogs charity which included taking North East MEP Fiona Hall on a blindfolded walk along Newcastle roads.

While initial proposals from the European Commission called for the artificial noise to be added on a voluntary basis only, Fiona Hall and her Lib Dem colleagues successfully fought for a mandatory requirement. Following today's vote, manufacturers in the EU will now have 5 years to comply with the new rules.

Speaking after the vote, Fiona said: "This is a good example of how a local campaign can have a big impact. My experience with the Guide Dogs association was enough to convince me that minimum noise levels on vehicles are important and that we need to enforce the standard across the industry. Leaving it up to individual manufacturers would have caused great uncertainty. Without knowing that all cars emit a certain level of noise, those who rely on on their hearing to cross the road couldn't do so with confidence. This isn't about making electric cars too loud and risking increased noise pollution, we just need a minimum level that reduces the risk of accidents."