Overview
- A peer-reviewed University of Leeds analysis in Nature Communications of Great Britain’s STATS19 data (2019–2023) found pedestrian casualty rates of 57.8 per billion miles for electric cars versus 58.9 for petrol and diesel cars.
- Pedestrians struck by electric cars did not suffer more severe injuries than those hit by conventional vehicles despite EVs’ greater weight.
- Hybrid vehicles recorded 120.14 pedestrian casualties per billion miles, which the authors suggest may reflect heavy private-hire and urban use.
- Large SUVs were associated with a higher likelihood of severe pedestrian injury regardless of propulsion type.
- Researchers noted a post-2019 drop in EV and hybrid casualty rates consistent with the rollout of Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems, with any causal link unproven, and Australia now mandates AVAS on new electrified models.