Toyota Prius to get sound option, offers pedestrians more protection

Active as well as passive safety should rank pretty high in any vehicle manufacturer’s To Do list, and it is comforting to know that Toyota’s Prius will soon come with an optional under-the-hood speaker system. This is a rather strange move, because if Toyota really wants to go all out to save lives just in case there is a chance for an accident, shouldn’t they make it compulsory? Well, perhaps they are banking on Prius purchasers who have a heart for others and do not mind forking out around $150 more over the total vehicle price for the sound option. After all, electric and hybrid cars are a whole lot quieter, so you might even have perfect hearing but still be absent-minded enough to miss out on an incoming Prius. It is hoped that this new system will do its bit to help reduce the number of accidents on the road. Isn’t prevention better than cure? It would be nice to see this technology applied in vehicles from other manufacturers as well.