New study: Electric cars are twice as likely to hit pedestrians

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A new study published in the British Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health found that short-range electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are twice as likely to hit pedestrians as internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

Data analysis showed that this is because Electric cars are much quieter than traditional petrol or diesel cars. Indeed, in a noisy city it is much more difficult to hear the approach of an electric car, and the likelihood of it hitting pedestrians is almost three times higher than with a car with an internal combustion engine.

“Electric cars are definitely the future and a great way to reduce air pollution, said study lead researcher Phil J. Edwards. – But we need to reduce the risk.” In other words, EV drivers “need to be very careful around pedestrians.”

Pedestrian distraction is also a possible contributing factor to the increase in accidents as people are too busy looking at their cell phones, listening to loud music or generally being distracted during their commute. A solution to the problem could be artificially created noise that electric cars would make when driving at very low speeds to make them easier to notice by other road users. Some car manufacturers have even replaced this noise with music.

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