Electric vehicles are no more dangerous to pedestrians than gasoline cars, according to new research from the University of Leeds. Professor Zia Wadud analyzed over 167,000 pedestrian casualties across Britain between 2014 and 2023. From 2019 to 2023, electric vehicles had nearly identical collision rates with pedestrians at 57.82 per billion miles compared to 58.88 for gas vehicles. Despite weighing more due to battery packs, electric cars caused no more severe injuries when crashes occurred. Hybrid vehicles showed higher collision rates at 120.14 per billion miles, likely because they dominate urban taxi fleets with greater pedestrian exposure. Warning sound requirements introduced in 2019 appear effective, as electric vehicle casualty rates dropped from 137.2 to 57.8 per billion miles. (Story URL)
