Heinlein predicted it, again
Just heard this story on WINS (though the link is to Fox News) about concerns over the new hybrid cars. Specifically, the National Federation of the Blind is warning that the new hybrids are too quiet, taking away a warning cue from the visually impaired and possibly endangering blind pedestrians who won't know to not cross the street. Discussions are now ongoing over some sort of auditory warning signal. It wasn't for the same reason, but in The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, Robert A. Heinlein had a modern vehicle without an internal combustion engine using a recording to sound like an old Tin Lizzy.