<
https://thedriven.io/2025/12/10/evs-pose-no-additional-threat-to-pedestrians-than-petrol-vehicles-but-hybrids-do/>
"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 a 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."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
