Heavy Batteries Can Make Electric Vehicles Unsafe for Others

With more electric vehicles on the road today, the question arises of whether electric vehicles are safe if they are involved in a car crash.

Electric vehicle safety and car crashes

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has tested the safety of electric vehicles in simulated collisions. The IIHS found that electric vehicles were safe for the occupants of the vehicles. However, they may pose unexpected dangers to others.

Electric vehicles are heavy, due to the size and weight of their batteries. This extra weight better protects occupants of electric vehicles in the event of a crash. The average automobile weighs approximately 4,300 pounds, but an electric vehicle can weigh thousands of pounds more.

This extra weight puts lighter vehicles at a disadvantage in the event of a collision. When a heavier electric vehicle strikes a lighter vehicle, bicyclist or pedestrian, the other party is more likely to be hurt or killed in the crash compared to the occupants of the electric vehicle.

The National Bureau of Economic Research reports that if there is a 1,000-pound difference in the weight of two automobiles, should these automobiles collide there is a 47% greater chance the collision will be fatal.

Drive with safety in mind

Electric vehicles might be the wave of the future, but safety must always be at the forefront of the minds of those operating them. Drivers of electric vehicles must know their vehicle’s limitations as well as their own limitations as a motorist, in order to avoid causing a car accident.

In addition to handling their vehicle with due care, drivers of electric vehicles must take care not to drive while distracted, drive while drowsy or drive while intoxicated. Doing so can help ensure the roads are safe for drivers and occupants of all vehicle types.