In a recent study conducted by The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), the safety of hybrids yielded some rather peculiar results. Instead of taking into consideration just the vehicle occupants, the research looked into the safety of pedestrians. Due majorly in part to the added weight of the hybrid system, drivers and passengers of gasoline/electric vehicles are 25 percent less likely to be injured in an accident compared to their conventional counterparts. The HLDI paired more than 25 hybrid-nonhybrid ranging from 2003 to 2011 model years and viewed the collision to injury claim ratio.
“Hybrids on average are 10 percent heavier than their standard counterparts. This extra mass gives them an advantage in crashes that their conventional twins don’t have,” said HLDI vice president Matt Moore. Despite the added safety to occupants, hybrids didn’t get away from the study scot-free. More than 20 percent likely to involved in an incident involving a pedestrian are gas/electric vehicles. The issue steams from the zero-emissions mode’s silence which can catch walkers off guard. “When hybrids operate in electric-only mode, pedestrians can’t hear them approaching,” said Moore. “So they might step out into the roadway without checking first to see what’s coming.” Congress sees this an issue as they have given the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) three years to finalize requirements for hybrids and a pedestrian warning sound. Manufactures such as Toyota and Nissan are already installing alert horns on their 2012 model year vehicles.
Source: AutomotiveNews.com
