British study:

Electric cars pose a greater risk to pedestrians

(Bild: Pink Badger)

According to a British study, electric cars can pose a greater risk of accidents for pedestrians than cars with a combustion engine. According to the analysis of older data from the UK, the likelihood of accidents is twice as high as with petrol or diesel vehicles.

The research team explains in the "Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health" that they are less easy to hear, especially in cities, due to the ambient noise. Drivers of electric or hybrid cars should pay more attention to pedestrians, as they may not hear them and could step onto the road, according to the scientists. Work also needs to be done to mitigate the increased risk. Possible technical solutions include systems for collision avoidance and autonomous emergency braking.

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 do something about them.

Data from 2013 to 2017 formed the basis
The researchers led by Phil Edwards from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine examined the risk of accidents in the UK using data from 2013 to 2017. Of around 96,000 pedestrians who were hit by a car or cab, around three quarters were hit by a vehicle with a diesel or petrol engine (almost 72,000) and two percent (around 1,700) were hit by an electric or hybrid car. No information was provided for around a quarter.

The researchers put these figures in relation to the distance covered by each type of vehicle and calculated the accident rate for pedestrians per 100 million miles (around 160 million kilometers). The annual average for electric and hybrid vehicles (5.16) was twice as high as for petrol and diesel vehicles (2.40). The majority of accidents occur in urban areas. 

Results should be treated with caution
However, the researchers pointed out that the analysis lacks data beyond 2017 and that there could be a distortion 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 road accidents. Factors such as differences in the weight or acceleration of the vehicles could also play a role.