Cleaner, faster, edgier—the way they’re marketed, you’d think EVs are the perfect means for getting around. As with most major technological advancements, however, there are some drawbacks.
According to a report by The Guardian, a recent study has found that electric cars may be more likely to hit pedestrians than regular old gas- or diesel-powered vehicles.
The study, authored by professor Phil Edwards of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, analyzed British roads and considered a whopping 32 billion miles (about 52 billion kilometers) worth of EV driving data and three trillion miles (five trillion kilometers) worth of gas- and diesel-powered trips. It’s worth noting though that the data analyzed was from 2013 to 2017 only, due to an archiving issue that made data from 2018 onwards unavailable.
According to the study, electric cars were at par with their gas and diesel counterparts in rural settings, but were three times more likely to hit a pedestrian in towns and cities. The study also found that under the same distance traveled, pedestrian casualties per 100 miles (161km) was 5.16 for EVs and just 2.4 for gasoline and diesel vehicles.
Edwards says that an EV’s quietness is a major factor authorities must regulate. “If you’re moving to an electric car, remember it’s a new kind of vehicle,” he said. “They are much quieter than the old-fashioned cars, and pedestrians have learned to navigate roads by listening for traffic. Drivers of these vehicles need to be extra cautious.”
Governments in Europe now require all EVs sold to have an alert system, but Edwards says that there are still far too many silent units out on the road. “If government made sure these systems were installed in all electric vehicles and retrofitted them to older electric cars, that would be a good start,” he told The Guardian.
The professor also stressed the need for authorities to address EVs’ instant torque and longer stopping distances.
“If the government is planning to promote a transition to electric cars, then that will bring some risk to pedestrians unless we take care of this,” Edwards said.
Frankly, it will be a while before this is an issue in the Philippines. Can you imagine the hazard an army of silent EVs will pose here because of our poor pedestrian infrastructure? Yikes.
