Hybrid cars have been found to offer a significant safety advantage conventional rivals because of their additional weight helps reduce the severity of crashes, according to a new study from the Highways Loss Data Institute (HLDI).
The US non-profit organisation dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries, found that the odds of being injured in a crash are 25 per cent lower for people in a hybrid car than for people travelling in a non-hybrid models.
"Weight is a big factor," explains Matt Moore, HLDI vice president and an author of the report. "Hybrids on average are 10 per cent heavier than their standard counterparts. This extra mass gives them an advantage in crashes that their conventional twins don’t have."
However the Institute acknowledges that other factors may also be contributing to the safety of hybrid models, such as how, when and by whom hybrids are driven. To maximise the fuel efficiency benefits of a hybrid car, hybrid drivers often adopt a greener driving style-such as looking further ahead to avoid harsh braking-which is known to be a safer style too.
According to the Institute the new findings are 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.
"Saving at the pump no longer means you have to skimp on crash protection," Moore says.
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 2003-2011 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.
In a crash, weight is an advantage because in a collision with another vehicle, the heavier vehicle will push back the lighter one meaning that passengers in the lighter car are more likely to be injured. Even in a single vehicle crash, heavy cars have an advantage because they are more likely to move, bend, or deform objects they hit.
Even with advances in occupant protection, larger vehicles still are safer choices. At about 3,600 pounds, a hybrid Honda Accord midsize sedan, for example, can weigh as much as 480 pounds more than a conventional Accord. A hybrid Toyota Highlander, a midsize SUV, weighs about 4,500 pounds, compared with about 4,170 pounds for the conventional Highlander.
However a separate analysis by HLDI shows that hybrids may be as much as 20 per cent more likely to be involved in pedestrian crashes with injuries than their conventional twins.
