Electric shock: hybrids, not EVs, pose pedestrian risk
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson |
Electric vehicles pose no more danger to pedestrians than petrol-powered cars, a study has found, even though they are quieter and heavier than their rivals.
Pedestrians should take extra care around SUVs and hybrid cars, however, as the vehicles register significantly higher rates of serious injuries and accidents, respectively.
The University of Leeds reveals the findings on Wednesday in an analysis of road accident data published in the journal Nature Communications.
The results come amid rising sales for electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and one month after acoustic warning systems became mandatory for new electric cars sold in Australia.
The study, called Comparing Pedestrian Safety, analysed road accident data collected in the UK between 2019 and 2023 to determine whether electric vehicles were more likely to be involved in accidents with pedestrians.
The research also probed whether road accidents involving electric cars caused more serious injuries, author and University of Leeds mobility and energy futures professor Zia Wadud said, due to their weight.
“There were two worries about EVs and road safety: first, whether EVs would increase the number of collisions with pedestrians because they were quieter than traditional vehicles,” he said.
“Second, where there is a collision, whether the injuries to the pedestrians would be more severe when involving an EV because the vehicles are heavier.”
To compare the likelihood of pedestrian accidents, Prof Zia analysed data to produce an crash rate for electric, hybrid and internal combustion engine vehicles for every billion miles they travelled.
While accident rates between electric (57.82) and petrol vehicles (58.88) were so similar they were considered statistically equal, hybrids vehicles produced a significantly higher casualty toll (120.14).
Electric cars were also no more likely to cause severe injuries to pedestrians despite their greater weight, the research found, due to the inclusion of modern, advanced safety features.
Instead, the greatest risk of severe or fatal injuries came from accidents involving SUVs due to their body shape, weight, and lower safety standards in older models.
The findings should help to bust further myths about electric vehicles, Prof Wadud said, particularly after the introduction of acoustic vehicle alerting systems that played sound at low speeds to warn pedestrians.
“We should worry less about the potential dangers of electrified vehicles and more about the growing prevalence of SUVs,” he said.
“Whether electric or conventionally powered, these larger, heavier vehicles not only pose greater safety risks, they also take up more road space and emit more carbon over their life cycle.”
Acoustic alert systems became mandatory in new electric and hybrid vehicles from November under Australian Design Rules, and models already approved for sale must be updated by November 2026.
Low-emission cars continue to rise in popularity among Australian motorists, with hybrid vehicles making up almost one in five new vehicles sold in November, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, and electric cars representing almost one in 10 new vehicles.
AAP
