Assessing the perceived safety risk from quiet electric and hybrid vehicles to vision-impaired pedestrians.

Analysis of UK STATS19 database showed accidents with pedestrians are no more likely with electric / hybrid electric vehicles than conventional ones pro-rata to the numbers registered. Visually-impaired people listening to recordings found identifying electric or hybrid electric vehicles more difficult than conventional ones at low speeds and pull away. One of the four conventional vehicles tested was, however, equally quiet. Further analysis of STATS19 was recommended. (Author/publisher)