LeftieBiker said:
Anyone who disables the factory backup beeping is risking injuring someone, and also risking a lawsuit if it happens. Lowering the volume somewhat would seem to be a better idea.
Not sure that is true. 1- It is always the driver's responsibility to not hit anyone/anything. Doing so pretty much guarantees a lawsuit, beeper or not. 2- The factory backup beeping was optional for 2011, i.e., you could turn it off. Would those vehicles have some sort of beeper risk exemption? 3- Many cars, not just EVs, are very, very quiet, or not heard because ambient noise levels are high. Few other than the EV have backup warnings other than backup lights and, oh yeah, the sight of a large multi-thousand-pound object moving.
I agree certainly that in general more presumed safety factors are better than not, and the backup beeper is one of these. I also agree with some posters that an optional ability to turn the beeper off is actually the best approach, to accommodate those of us backing out of garages in the early morning, hospital area parking, and other designated or expected-to-be quiet areas.
Lastly, and I don't know the answer to this, do people really pay attention to backup beepers anymore? Even today in any busy area there are so many such beepers and other noise pollution, my skepticism leads me to believe most sounds are just automatically tuned out, or masked by ear pods tuned to some favorite news or music channel. This doesn't negate a beeper's potential safety aspects, but I think it would be very, very hard to prevail in a lawsuit about a non-operational beeper.