Pedestrians could be twice as likely to be hit by an electric or hybrid car than by petrol or diesel vehicles, a new study suggests.
The study published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health analyzed road casualty rates in the UK between 2013 and 2017.
The researchers said their results indicated that collisions with pedestrians were twice as likely. electric and hybrid vehicles than with gasoline and diesel vehicles, and three times more likely in urban areas than in rural areas.
Based on data from 916,713 casualty incidents, researchers calculated that between 2013 and 2017, the average annual rate of pedestrian casualties per 100 million kilometers traveled on the road was 5.16 for electric and hybrid vehicles. and 2.40 for gasoline and diesel vehicles.
In total, 32 billion kilometers of travel by electric/hybrid vehicles and 3 trillion kilometers of travel by gasoline/diesel vehicles were included in the analysis.
Road crashes are the leading cause of death among children and young people, and one in four road deaths involve pedestrians, researchers noted.
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Researchers said electric and hybrid vehicles may pose more safety risks to pedestrians because they are quieter, particularly in urban areas where background ambient noise levels are higher.
They also suggest that younger, less experienced drivers are more likely to be involved in a road accident and are also more likely to own an electric car.
“In Britain, more pedestrians are injured by petrol and diesel cars than by electric cars, but compared to petrol and diesel cars, electric cars pose a greater risk to pedestrians and the risk is more large in an urban environment,” they write.
“From a public health perspective, our findings should not discourage health-promoting forms of active transportation, such as walking and cycling; rather, they can be used to ensure that any potential increased risk of road accidents the road is understood and protected.”
They conclude that the increased risk to pedestrian safety posed by electric and hybrid cars “must be mitigated as governments implement safety measures.” phase out gasoline and diesel cars“.
The study authors acknowledged several caveats to their findings, including a lack of data beyond 2017 due to an archiving issue affecting National Travel Survey (NTS) data since 2018.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The research cited in this report only covers data between 2013 and 2017, predating current electric vehicle requirements.
“We are committed to ensuring that all vehicles are as safe as possible, which is why there are already strict requirements for new electric vehicles to be equipped with integrated sound generators when traveling at low speeds and when reversing. “
