Media release

From: Springer Nature

Electric cars as safe for pedestrians as conventional cars

Electric vehicles are no more likely to be involved in pedestrian collisions or cause severe injuries compared to conventional vehicles, according to a study of UK data published in Nature Communications. These findings suggest that the adoption of electric vehicles does not compromise pedestrian safety, addressing a key concern in the transition to sustainable transport.

The transport sector is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, and many countries are promoting the use of electric vehicles to mitigate these emissions. However, the quieter operation and heavier weight of electric vehicles have raised concerns about their potential impact on road safety, particularly for pedestrians. Understanding these safety implications is crucial as the number of electric vehicles on the road continues to grow.

Zia Wadud analysed British government road safety data from 2014 to 2023. They found that the pedestrian casualty rates for collisions with electric vehicles were statistically similar to those for conventional vehicles from 2019–2023 (the period in which electric vehicle ownership began to accelerate). A drop in casualty rates for both electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles is observed in 2019 following the introduction of the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (a safety mechanism to audibly alert other road users of the vehicle’s presence during low-speed driving), although more data are needed to investigate this association. These findings indicate that electric vehicles do not pose a greater risk to pedestrian safety than conventional vehicles.

Future research should focus on the role of active safety technologies such as the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System and the impact of electric vehicles in vehicle-to-vehicle collisions to provide a more comprehensive understanding of their safety implications, the author concludes.