Traffic safety consequences of electrically powered vehicles: a preliminary survey. National and local governments stimulate the purchase and use of electrically powered vehicles out of environmental considerations. In 2010 hybrid passenger cars constituted 0.5% of the total number of Dutch cars; the fully electric passenger car has not yet really begun its progress. In addition, there are a few electrically powered buses, lorries, vans and motorcycles. Electric vans are expected to replace conventional vans, especially for urban distribution. In the meantime, fully electric scooters are certainly on the increase. In the Netherlands, a number of social platforms and organizations are actively involved with respect to electric mobility. One of those is the Electric Mobility Platform, established by the RAI Association. This platform concentrates on the possible consequences of the (stepped-up) introduction of electric vehicles for road safety. The platform is concerned with the consequences of quiet electric vehicles for pedestrians and cyclists in particular. This concern was reason for SWOV to conduct a preliminary survey into the consequences for road safety. Only foreign literature is available for providing insight into the road safety aspects of electric passenger cars. Nothing has been found in the literature about electric scooters. For this reason, SWOV itself has conducted preliminary research into this. For instance, the branch has been interviewed and an Internet inquiry has been carried out. Furthermore, organizations for the visually impaired have been contacted with respect to their experiences with silent motor vehicles.
Abstract