BATTERY-POWERED CARS ARE SAFER

Hybrid models have lower injury odds than their conventional counterparts
November 17, 2011 (Highway Loss Data Institute)

"Hybrids have a safety edge over their conventional twins when it comes to shielding their occupants from injuries in crashes, new research by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, shows. On average, the odds of being injured in a crash are 25 percent lower for people in hybrids than people traveling in nonhybrid models…

"…Weight is [the biggest factor]…Hybrids on average are 10 percent heavier [because of the added heft of battery packs and other components]…[O]ther factors, such as how, when, and by whom hybrids are driven, also may contribute. Researchers included controls to reduce the impact these differences may have had on the results."

(from the Highway Loss Data Institute report - click to enlarge)

"The new finding is more good news for green-minded drivers who don't want to trade safety for fuel economy. Not so long ago, car buyers had to choose between the two because fuel-efficient cars tended to be smaller and lighter. Now, consumers have more options than ever when it comes to picking an environmentally friendly — and crashworthy — vehicle…

"In the study, HLDI estimated the odds that a crash would result in injuries if people were riding in a hybrid versus the conventional version of the same vehicle. The analysis included more than 25 hybrid-conventional vehicle pairs, all 2003-11 models, with at least 1 collision claim and at least 1 related injury claim filed under personal injury protection or medical payment coverage in 2002-10…Hybrids' injury odds were [25-to-27] percent lower than their standard counterparts…"