Stealth Car

I've been driving a hybrid car for about four months now. Perhaps the biggest difference I had to adjust to was the lack of engine noise. When I'm cruising along on battery power, the only sound is the tires on the road - kind of like riding in a golf cart.

What I never really took into account was that lack of engine noise inside means lack of engine noise outside. The other day I pulled into a parking space next to a pickup truck. The tailgate of the truck was down and a gentleman, looking away from me, was sitting on the tailgate. I turned off my car and opened my car door.

It was the car door opening that caught the attention of the man on the pickup truck. He turned in my direction and his entire body jerked in surprise.

That's just scary, he said. I never heard your car. One of those electric things huh?

And with that comment a whole lot of things were explained.

Recently I had been thinking that parking lot pedestrians were becoming increasingly inattentive. More and more frequently they wander aimlessly, never so much as looking over their shoulders, even when I'm right behind them.

Now I realize. The pedestrians have no idea I'm there - no engine noise.

Maybe hybrid cars need a warning label on the dashboard.

Warning - stealth car - objects in the windshield may not move as quickly as anticipated.