- Hybrid vehicles do a better job of protecting occupants in crashes compared to conventional vehicles, according to a new study.
- The odds of being injured in a crash are 25 percent lower for people in hybrids than non-hybrid models, said the Highway Loss Data Institute.
- On the downside, hybrids may be as much as 20 percent more likely to be involved in pedestrian crashes because people can't hear them when they are operating in electric-only mode.
ARLINGTON, Virginia — Hybrid vehicles do a better job of protecting occupants in crashes compared to conventional vehicles, according to a new study.
The odds of being injured in a crash are 25 percent lower for people in hybrids than non-hybrid models, said the Highway Loss Data Institute.
The findings are "good news for green-minded drivers who don't want to trade safety for fuel economy," said the insurance-industry study agency in a statement last week.
"Not so long ago, car buyers had to choose between the two because fuel-efficient cars tended to be smaller and lighter," it noted.
Increased vehicle weight gives hybrids the safety edge.
The study singled out such vehicles as the Honda Accord Hybrid, saying that it can weigh as much as 480 pounds more than a conventional Accord. A Toyota Highlander Hybrid weighs about 330 pounds more than a conventional Highlander. The Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight were not included in the study because they are only sold as hybrids.
On the downside, hybrids may be as much as 20 percent more likely to be involved in pedestrian crashes because people can't hear them when they are operating in electric-only mode.
"When hybrids operate in electric-only mode, pedestrians can't hear them approaching so they might step out into the roadway without checking first to see what's coming," said Matt Moore, Highway Loss Data Institute president and author of the study.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is developing a requirement for hybrids and electric vehicles to be equipped with sounds to alert pedestrians.
Inside Line says: An interesting argument for buying a hybrid.
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tbone85 says:
11:20 AM, 11/25/2011
"If people are too blind to look both ways before crossing the street, they need to get a seeing eye dog. If they have a seeing eye dog that still lets them cross the street, that is saying something. Maybe Seeing eye dogs just need a little more down time, yuo kow every dog is still a puppy, no matter how well trained and in most cases no matter how old."
Having worked with a number of blind employees over the last 15 years, I can only shake my head at your comment. It has been a reasonable compromise for them to use attenuated hearing to help make traffic decisions. The lack of sound in electrically operated cars is a significant safety issue that the blind community is still navigating it's way through. I suppose this was just poor effort at being flip, but this issue has an impact on people who face down challenges every day that you cannot begin to imagine.
tomsjay says:
05:51 PM, 11/23/2011
This is a baseless conclusion. I think the finding is true but for just different reason. The momentum involved will be less due to the less abrupt power delivery of the hybrid powertrain. Braking seems to be superior in hybrids due to aded degenerative breaking force. Crashes normally involes a very dynamic situation which might involve ,braking,quick steering maneuvers or acceleration.. in all these maneuvers hybrids are less responsive with better breaking as an added advantage.
tomsjay says:
05:50 PM, 11/23/2011
This is a baseless conclusion. I think the finding is true but for just different reason. The momentum involved will be less due to the less abrupt power delivery of the hybrid powertrain. Braking seems to be superior in hybrids due to aded degenerative breaking force. Crashes normally involes a very dynamic situation which might involve ,braking,quick steering maneuvers or acceleration.. in all these maneuvers hybrids are less responsive with better breaking as an added advantage.
juxta says:
11:08 PM, 11/22/2011
More weight means better crash performance as a rule of thumb. Think about a 5-star rated subcompact colliding with a 3-star rated SUV and which occupants will be more injured. (IIHS is careful not to recommend larger heavier vehicles which is why they rate vehicles within each class. But they do admit that larger vehicles are more safe.)
Within a similar car model though, imagine the hybrid getting sideswiped or rear ended. The heavier the car the less it will move from the other vehicle's momentum which in turn will thrash the occupants around less. That means fewer minor injuries for a hybrid where minor injuries probably the bulk of all vehicle injuries.
I'd assume the odds of being injured are mostly minor like whiplash, head injuries, etc. and not death (likelihood of dying probably wouldn't be reduced for a hybrid).
damaje says:
08:42 PM, 11/22/2011
If people are too blind to look both ways before crossing the street, they need to get a seeing eye dog. If they have a seeing eye dog that still lets them cross the street, that is saying something. Maybe Seeing eye dogs just need a little more down time, yuo kow every dog is still a puppy, no matter how well trained and in most cases no matter how old.
motorstreet says:
07:52 PM, 11/22/2011
I don't like this conclusion that the extra weight is safer, because cars are getting really heavy and weight ruins performance, efficiency, and isn't progress. I think the biggest factor in Hybrids having lower injury rates is that they're usually safer than the average car, because they're expensive and therefore come with more safety features. The Prius is a good example, it has had standard side airbags since 2007 and with those airbags gets a good rating in front and side crash tests. Most other small cars were't as safe as the Prius until closer to 2009. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid has also been safer than most SUVs until they caught up to it around 2008. I think the safety of these cars is a bigger factor than the extra weight.
scottyscooter says:
07:15 PM, 11/22/2011
I think its a bunch of baloney that a meager 300 - 400 lbs of dead weight is going to reduce your odds of being injured by 25%. Even if the study were accurate, someone on this site (I don't remember who it was) once commented that whenever you add weight to a vehicle it is done at the expense of other peoples safety.
I agree with that, which is why I think that its fundamentally flawed to praise a vehicle as being more safe because it has more weight. The choice of a heavier vehicle in the name of safety only reduces the chance of injury for the people inside of that vehicle, but it increases the chance of injury to literally every other car on the road. More weight should never be praised as being more safe.
tvshasselhoff says:
08:17 AM, 11/22/2011
Slower speed. That is what saved lives by lessening the severity of the impact. Finding these vehicles being heavier as the reason is silly.
fandiesel says:
07:42 AM, 11/22/2011
Maybe the conclusions made in the study don't have a way to determine other factors like maybe hybrid drivers are just safer drivers like driving slower (looking for more mpg's) and so forth. The weight thing does not seem to really be the reason !
tooright1 says:
07:04 AM, 11/22/2011
This study sounds like nonsense. Simply adding weight from heavy batteries and an additional electric motor to a vehicle chassis that is otherwise unchanged from its gasoline counterpart will not make it safer. If adding dead weight would make a safer vehicle then we should all go out and purchase 400 pounds of bricks to add to our own vehicle to make it safer. Chassis and body strength play a key roll in how safe a vehicle is. The information in this study seems a little shallow.