EVs are 'just as safe for pedestrians' as petrol or diesel cars

Electric vehicles (EVs) are no more dangerous to pedestrians than traditional petrol or diesel cars, according to a new study.

Research by the University of Leeds into UK collisions involving pedestrians and cars found no significant difference in the pedestrian casualty rates between EVs and conventional vehicles.

It also found that, in these crashes, injuries sustained by pedestrians were no more severe when caused by an EV than by a non-electric car, despite EVs' heavier weight.

The paper ‘Comparing pedestrian safety between electric and internal combustion engine vehicles’ by Zia Wadud, Professor of Mobility and Energy Futures at Leeds, was published on 9 December in Nature Communications.

It found that, with around 250 billion miles driven by cars in the UK each year, the average pedestrian casualty rate per billion miles of driving was 57.8 for EVs and 58.9 for non-electric vehicles between 2019 and 2023.

Professor Wadud, based in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering and Institute for Transport Studies at Leeds, said he hoped the findings would dispel any misconceptions around electric vehicles’ safety.

He added: “There were two worries about EVs and road safety. First, whether EVs would increase the number of collisions with pedestrians because they were quieter than traditional vehicles.

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

Better safety technologies

One possible explanation for the findings, Professor Wadud suggests, is that because most of the EV fleet is much newer and more expensive, the vehicles generally have better safety technologies than most internal combustion engine vehicles on the road today, helping them avoid crashes or limit impact.

EVs typically weigh about 0.3 metric tonnes more than conventional cars due to heavy battery packs - an additional weight of around five washing machines. This prompted concerns that they could cause more severe injuries to pedestrians. However, the study found no statistical evidence that EV-related injuries were more severe.

These findings suggest we can reassure the public and policy makers that not only are EVs better for the planet, but they also pose no greater risk to pedestrians than current petrol or diesel vehicles on the road.

Professor Zia Wadud, Institute for Transport Studies and School of Chemical and Process Engineering

Early EVs were initially known for being very quiet, which raised fears about more low-speed accidents involving pedestrians. However, since July 2019, all new electric and hybrid vehicles must be fitted with the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS), which emits a sound when moving, reducing the risk.

Hybrid differences

The study distinguishes fully electric vehicles from hybrids, which combine some battery power with combustion engines. Previous research often grouped hybrids with EVs, which Professor Wadud believes skewed results.

In this study, hybrids showed higher pedestrian casualty rates than EVs and conventional vehicles - 120.14 per billion miles. Professor Wadud contends that this may be due to their substantial use as private-hire vehicles in the UK. This means they clock up far greater mileage than the average car, and are predominantly driven in and around city centres, increasing the chance of crashes involving pedestrians.

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

Larger vehicles and injury severity

The risks to vulnerable road users posed by sports utility vehicles (SUVs) have been highlighted in some news reports. While this study did not examine SUV casualty rates, it found that large SUVs increased the likelihood of more severe pedestrian injuries in collisions.

Professor Wadud said: “We should worry less about the potential dangers of electrified vehicles and more about the growing prevalence of SUVs on the nation’s roads. Whether electric or conventionally powered, these larger, heavier vehicles not only pose greater safety risks, they also take up more road space and emit more carbon over their lifecycle.”

Greater understanding

Electrifying vehicles is seen as a significant pathway to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport. EV use is now actively encouraged by Government policies in many countries, including the UK. As such, EV numbers have been growing rapidly, so it is more important than ever to understand their broader impacts.

Professor Wadud said: “One of the ways we can fight climate change is by decarbonising transport and drivers switching to EVs is an important aspect of that.

“These findings suggest we can reassure the public and policy makers that not only are EVs better for the planet, but they also pose no greater risk to pedestrians than current petrol or diesel vehicles on the road.”

The study analysed collision data from Great Britain's STATS19 road safety database - the official Department for Transport dataset used to record and analyse road traffic collisions reported to the police, across the country. It used the most recent figures available, from 2019 to 2023.

According to these figures, 71,979 pedestrians were hit by cars, taxis, or private hire vehicles during that period. Of these, hybrid cars accounted for 5,303 pedestrian casualties (7.36%), while electric vehicles accounted for 996 pedestrian casualties (1.38%). The remaining 65,680 incidents (91.25%) involved conventional cars.

Although casualty figures for EVs and conventional vehicles differ significantly, when miles driven and vehicle volume on the road are considered, their casualty rates are very similar.

The figures combine slight and serious injuries, plus fatalities. The study also developed a separate statistical model to compare injury severities across the vehicle groups.

Professor Wadud said that although current EVs are found to be just as safe as internal combustion engine vehicles being driven on the nation’s roads, future research should investigate whether that would still be the case if both had similar levels of safety technology.