Electric cars more likely to hit pedestrians than petrol vehicles, study finds

The UK government has been urged to mitigate the risks as the sale of petrol and diesel car is phased out. Photograph: Zeynep Demir Aslim/Alamy

Hybrid and electric cars are more likely to strike pedestrians than petrol or diesel vehicles, particularly in towns and cities, according to an analysis of British road traffic accidents.

Data from 32bn miles of battery-powered car travel and 3tn miles of petrol and diesel car trips showed that mile-for-mile electric and hybrid cars were twice as likely to hit pedestrians than fossil fuel-powered cars, and three times more likely to do so in urban areas.