EVs pose no greater risk to pedestrians - study

Electric vehicles pose no greater risk to pedestrians than petrol or diesel cars, new research suggests.

A study by the University of Leeds found no significant difference in pedestrian casualty rates between EVs and traditional petrol or diesel cars on UK roads.

Looking at road data between 2019 and 2023, casualty rates involving pedestrians were similar - 57.8 per billion miles of driving for EVs and 58.9 for non-EVs.

Dr Zia Wadud, the study's author, said he hoped the research would help clear up "misconceptions" about EV safety.

The study analysed Department for Transport data used to record and analyse road traffic collisions reported to the police across the country.

According to the latest available figures, 71,979 pedestrians were hit by cars, taxis or private hire vehicles over the five-year period.

Of these, 91.25% involved petrol or diesel vehicles, 7.3% involved hybrid vehicles and 1.3% involved electric vehicles.

This resulted in similar casualty rates for EVs and traditional cars when miles driven and vehicle volume was taken into account, the study found.

Hybrids had a higher rate of 120 per billion miles of driving, with Dr Wadud contending this could be due to their substantial use as private hire vehicles.

They clock up far greater mileage than the average car, the academic said, and are predominantly driven in and around city centres, increasing the chance of pedestrian crashes.

However, while hybrids are involved in more collisions, injuries tend to be less severe than those caused by conventional cars, he added.

Early EVs sparked safety concerns over fears pedestrians could not hear them as they approached.

However, since July 2019, all new EVs and hybrids have to feature a noise-emitting device when moving to reduce the risk.

As EVs are typically heavier than other cars due to the weight of battery packs, concerns have also been raised about their potential to cause more severe injuries.

However, the research found no statistical evidence to support this.

Dr Wadud, of the Institute for Transport Studies and School of Chemical and Process Engineering, said one possible explanation for the study's findings was that new EVs had better safety technologies helping them avoid crashes.

"There were two worries - first, whether EVs would increase the number of collisions with pedestrians because they were quieter than traditional vehicles," he said.

"Second, where there is a collision, whether the injuries to the pedestrians would be more severe when involving an EV. Our results show that this is not the case."

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