Summary
– Hybrid and electric cars are more likely to strike pedestrians than petrol or diesel vehicles, especially in urban areas
– Reasons for this increased risk include the vehicles being quieter, driven by younger and less experienced drivers, and the reliance of pedestrians on sound cues
– Road traffic accidents are a leading cause of death among children and young adults, with pedestrians accounting for a quarter of all road deaths in the UK
– European regulations require new electric and hybrid vehicles to have an acoustic alert system, but many older vehicles do not have this feature
– Researchers suggest that additional measures, such as updating the Green Cross Code, are needed to address the risks posed by electric cars to pedestrians
Article
Hybrid and electric cars have been found to be more likely to strike pedestrians than petrol or diesel vehicles, especially in urban areas, based on data from British road traffic accidents. Electric and hybrid cars were shown to be twice as likely to hit pedestrians mile-for-mile compared to fossil fuel-powered cars, and three times more likely in urban settings. One potential reason for this increased hazard is that electric cars are much quieter than traditional combustion engine vehicles, making them harder for pedestrians to hear, particularly in busy towns and cities. Researchers suggest that the government needs to take steps to mitigate these risks as the sale of petrol and diesel cars is phased out.
Road traffic accidents are a leading cause of death among children and young adults in the UK, with pedestrians accounting for a quarter of all road deaths. A US Department of Transportation report also found that electric and hybrid cars posed a higher risk to pedestrians than petrol and diesel cars, especially during low-speed maneuvers such as turning, reversing, and stopping. Researchers conducted a study on UK travel and road accident data from 2013 to 2017, finding that electric and hybrid cars were more dangerous than petrol and diesel cars when considering the distance traveled. While most pedestrian collisions involved petrol or diesel vehicles, battery-powered cars had a higher annual pedestrian casualty rate per 100m miles traveled.
In rural areas, battery-powered cars were found to be no more dangerous than petrol or diesel vehicles, but in urban areas, they were three times more likely to collide with pedestrians. Since July 2019, all new hybrid and electric vehicles sold in Europe have been required to have an acoustic vehicle alerting system to emit sound while traveling slowly, but many older electric cars do not have this feature. Experts suggest that retrofitting older electric cars with these systems and updating pedestrian safety guidelines may help mitigate the risks of electric cars to pedestrians.
In addition to being harder to hear, electric cars also have swift acceleration and are heavier than petrol or diesel cars, which can lead to longer stopping distances. This combination of factors poses a risk to pedestrians, particularly in busy urban areas where pedestrians rely on sound cues to judge the presence, speed, and location of vehicles. This situation could be even more problematic for individuals with poor visual acuity or children who may struggle to judge the speed and distance of vehicles accurately. As the government plans to promote a transition to electric cars, researchers emphasize the need for measures to address these risks and ensure pedestrian safety amidst the shift to more eco-friendly vehicles.
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