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GR&A Announces Automotive Safety Device Receives FCC Certification

3 October 2000

GR&A Announces New Automotive Safety Device Receives FCC Certification

    STREETSBORO, Ohio--Oct. 2, 2000--The SILENTHORN(TM) vehicle warning device is being readied for commercial launch and has just achieved the prerequisite Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certification.
    According to Carl E. Garesche, President of Garland Rodesche & Associates, Inc. (GR&A), "This has been a four year development program and we are delighted with the momentum we have generated this year toward the impending commercial launch. We obtained patent protection on the SILENTHORN(TM) apparatus earlier in the year and this latest FCC certification really paves the way for bringing our product to the general public, to corporate and government fleets of automobiles, and to the operators of emergency vehicles."
    The SILENTHORN(TM) electronic warning device is designed to overcome the inherent limitations of automobile horns and emergency vehicle sirens by helping drivers cope with diametrically opposed philosophies in automobile design. The first being the focus on providing passenger compartments that are practically soundproof, and the second being the almost exclusive reliance on audible warnings (horns and/or sirens) to communicate impending danger to nearby motorists. These conflicting objectives are compounded by two facts: the first is simply that more than 10 percent of Americans are hampered by some degree/form of hearing loss or impairment (more than 25 million people); and the second is the existence of near constant distractions in the form of automobile Hi/Fi stereo systems, cellular/car phones, and now VCRs, wireless internet access with voice-activated e:mail retrieval systems, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) interfaces, etc.
    A study released this summer by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety states that distracted driving can cause as many as 4,000 accidents a day and can result in costs totaling more than $40 billion per year. Furthermore, a recent national survey conducted by Response Insurance shows that 98% of Americans are fearful of other drivers; 83% fear inattention on the part of other drivers; and 63% fear another driver's slow reaction time. Garesche stated that, "the bottom line is that we have too many driving distractions and not nearly a good enough method for drivers to communicate with one another. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) must agree because they've held two separate events this summer dealing with the safety ramifications of driver distractions. Our nation focuses incredible energy and resources towards the protection of drivers and passengers during and after an accident, but not near enough on accident prevention." The SILENTHORN(TM) vehicle warning device is an apparatus about the size of a radar detector and is intended to be located within the driver's line of sight. It will be professionally installed in vehicles by making a simple electrical connection to the existing horn and another to the vehicle battery for power. Once successfully installed, the device constantly "searches" for warning signals in its immediate vicinity and transmits its own warning signal whenever the driver activates his/her horn. Alarm lights are energized whenever a SILENTHORN(TM) device receives a transmitted warning signal.
    The obvious parallel application for the device is in association with emergency vehicle sirens. Media coverage of high-speed police chases is commonplace. An unfortunate consequence of these chases is that there are many collisions causing property damage, injuries, and even deaths -- often because innocent individuals were unfortunate enough to unknowingly drive into the path of the chase. The same holds true for other emergency vehicle operators like fire departments and paramedics. The SILENTHORN(TM) vehicle warning device will augment sirens by providing an additional means for alerting drivers to the fact that there is an emergency vehicle in their immediate vicinity that is responding to a crisis situation.
    GR&A is narrowing down the list of potential launch sites to a handful of metropolitan areas. "Once we've settled on the right metropolitan area, we will equip numerous emergency vehicles and will look for corporate launch customers desiring fleet installation. We will also begin to develop the required distribution network of automobile and car alarm dealerships necessary to begin retrofitting the existing cars and trucks already owned by the general public. Naturally, our long-term desire is to have the automobile manufacturers embrace the concept and install our SILENTHORN(TM) apparatus in new vehicles at the factory, presumably with a dedicated dashboard warning light," says Garesche. He adds, "I'm also interested in exploring how our device can be incorporated into some of the wireless, telematic, and/or 'intelligent' electronic platforms slated to be deployed as a part of future vehicle systems."