05-06-2024 | Newsroom | email: info@pronews.gr

A new study published in the UK's Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health
found that electric vehicles, as well as plug-in hybrid cars that have even a
small electric range, are twice as likely to hit pedestrians as cars with an
internal engine. Combustion (ICE).

Analysis of the data showed that this is because electric vehicles are much
quieter than traditional petrol or diesel cars. In fact, in a noisy urban area
it is much harder to hear an electric car (EV) approaching, while pedestrians
were almost three times more likely to be hit by an electric car than a car
with an internal combustion engine.

"EVs are definitely something for the future and a great way to reduce air
pollution," said the study's lead researcher, Phil Edwards, and continued: "but
we have to mitigate the risk." In other words: EV drivers "must be extra
careful with pedestrians."

Pedestrian distraction is also a possible contributing factor to the increase
in accidents, as what happens is that people are too busy looking at their cell
phones, listening to loud music, or generally being distracted while commuting.

The solution to the problem is the noise that electric cars make when they move
at very low speeds so that they are easier to be noticed by the rest of the
road users. Many car manufacturers, in fact, have replaced this noise with
music.

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