IT LOOKS LIKE those quiet-running hybrid and electric cars might get their own noise-makers before long.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last week that it is moving closer to proposing regulations that would require "green" vehicles to have an alert sound at low speeds to warn pedestrians, especially the blind.

Studies have indicated that the quiet-running vehicles have been involved in a higher rate of pedestrian accidents than louder internal-combustion automobiles. And the 2010 Pedestrian Safety Act requires the NHTSA to establish a safety alert sound for the vehicles.

Just what that sound will be is still up in the air. The NHTSA is studying the potential environmental impacts, so the new rules won't take effect anytime soon. You can find more information on the NHTSA website, nhtsa.gov.