A new study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association in the US has provided figures to back up anecdotal evidence that hybrid cars running in electric 'stealth mode' increase the dangers to pedestrians.
Hybrid SUVs: Big, ugly, and now officially dangerous?
The NHTSA report entitled
Incidence of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crashes by Hybrid Electric Passenger Vehicles
found "that pedestrian and bicyclist crashes involving both HEVs (hybrid electric) and ICE (internal combustion) vehicles commonly occurred on roadways, in zones with low speed limits, during daytime and in clear weather, with higher incidence rates for HEVs when compared to ICE vehicles".
A variety of crash factors were examined to determine the relative incidence rates of HEVs versus ICE vehicles in a range of crash scenarios, the NHTSA says:
"For one group of scenarios, those in which a vehicle is slowing or stopping, backing up, or entering or leaving a parking space, a statistically significant effect was found due to engine type. The HEV was two times more likely to be involved in a pedestrian crash in these situations than was an ICE vehicle.
"Similar to pedestrians, in crashes that occurred at very low speed, such as when a vehicle is making a turn, slowing or stopping, backing up, or entering or leaving a parking space, the incidence rate of bicyclist crashes involving HEVs was significantly higher when compared to ICE vehicles, and bicyclist crashes involving HEVs at intersections or interchanges were significantly higher when compared to ICE vehicles."
Does this mean our town centres will soon be filled with annoying electric beeps as car makers install alerts for dozy pedestrians? Or perhaps it just proves that TVRs made great city cars after all...
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