Silence Is Not Golden

(Fox News) - Blind folks are attacking the hybrid vehicle industry, because its cars and trucks are too quiet. Advocates for blind people say the vehicles make too little noise to be heard by the visually impaired and are therefore a safety hazard.

Environmentalists and automakers are on the same side here, saying they've worked hard to decrease noise pollution and don't want to take a step backward. One advocate says it would be against the public interest to make quiet vehicles artificially loud.

And National Federation for the Blind President Marc Maurer says he received an e-mail from an environmentalist who suggested that members of his group should be the first to drown when sea levels rise from global warming.