According to a study, electric cars can pose a greater risk of accidents for pedestrians than cars with combustion engines. Pedestrians are twice as likely to be hit by electric/hybrid vehicles than petrol/diesel vehicles, according to older data from the UK. One reason could be that the vehicles are quieter – especially in cities, they are less easy to hear because of the ambient noise, explains the research team in the “Journal of Epidemiology
Drivers of electric or hybrid cars should pay more attention to pedestrians, as they may not hear them and step onto the road, say the scientists. Work must also be done to mitigate the increased risk. Possible technical solutions include collision avoidance systems and autonomous emergency braking.
No reason not to walk anymore
The team also emphasizes that the results should not discourage people from walking or cycling. Rather, the data should be used to better understand potential risks in road traffic and to do something about them.
The researchers led by Phil Edwards from the London School of Hygiene
The majority of accidents occur in metropolitan areas
The researchers put these figures in relation to the distance traveled by each type of vehicle and calculated the accident rate for pedestrians per 100 million miles (about 160 million kilometers). The annual average for electric and hybrid vehicles (5.16) was twice as high as for gasoline and diesel vehicles (2.40). The majority of accidents occurred in urban areas.
The researchers point out, among other things, that the analysis lacks data beyond 2017 and that there could be a bias due to the fact that younger, less experienced drivers are more likely to own an electric car – younger drivers are generally more likely to be involved in traffic accidents. Factors such as differences in weight or acceleration of the vehicles could also play a role.
Stronger acceleration, more weight
Electric cars often accelerate much faster and, like all cars, they are becoming heavier on average. Newly sold electric cars are often powerful, heavy SUVs or luxury cars. Analyzes from several countries have already shown that, among other things, more traffic accidents are caused by electric cars than by combustion engines.
Electric vehicles drive quietly, especially when starting. The law therefore requires a specifically generated, continuous noise – so that even those with visual impairments can locate the vehicles. How it sounds is largely up to the manufacturer’s sound engineers.