Back in the day, a VW Beetle was the best car to get you through an oil crisis. Everyone complained about safety, though. VW fixed that. Now, they're cool. There must be a design solution for the too-quiet hybrid issue we can all come together on. By the by, maybe legislators should be seeking solutions that benefit pedestrians of all sorts: like reducing emissions of lung cancer causing exhaust particles, constructing more sidewalks, and installing pedestrian crossings that better accommodate blind persons?

A bill intended to protect blind people and other pedestrians from the dangers posed by quiet cars will...