There are loads of different pros and cons to both electric and gas cars, but we tend to focus on things like their power, how far they can drive, and so on. We don’t really talk about their safety as much as we should, especially considering the major differences between the two vehicles. So in this post, we’re going to cover the safety differences between the two types of vehicles and why you should be more aware of them before you switch from one to the other.
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How crashworthy are electric and gas cars?
One of the lesser known safety features of cars is their crashworthiness. This is basically a measurement of how well a car can protect the people inside should it be involved in an accident.
If we focus on the technical aspects of the vehicles, electric vehicles may actually be slightly safer due to their lower center of gravity. This is because heavy batteries are often placed near the bottom of the vehicle, meaning that it’s less prone to being flipped over onto its side or back.
Of course, this doesn’t count for every electric vehicle ever made. There are plenty of gas vehicles that have lower centers of gravity that could contribute to their safety, and a heavier car in general will be more stable than something lightweight. However, if we just focus on the design features alone, then electric vehicles can be a little more crashworthy.
But with that said, it’s not to say that gas cars can’t survive a crash. What’s important to remember here is that individual cars have individual properties that should be taken into consideration when it comes to crashworthiness.
The fire risks of electric and gas cars
An electric car tends to use batteries that, if caught on fire, can cause catastrophic damage to the entire vehicle in a very short amount of time. Of course, this is practically no different than, say, an engine being caught on fire in a gas vehicle. The result is still going to be a lot of damage to the car.
However, the probability of an electric vehicle catching on fire is supposedly a bit lower than diesel or petrol cars. But in reality, they are both still under 0.1% under regular operation. In short, no matter what vehicle you drive, as long as you’re treating it properly and driving correctly, there’s a very low chance that you’ll actually end up damaging it to a point that it catches on fire.
Design and maintenance of electric and gas cars
People often say that gas vehicles have more moving parts, meaning that there could be more room for error and thus, more chance for there to be damage and safety concerns. This is partially true, as it’s objectively true that electric vehicles have fewer moving parts.
However, that doesn’t always mean that the inherent safety risks of an electric car are lower due to its design and maintenance concerns. In fact, one could argue that electrical components, such as the battery or circuitry, can pose unique challenges which may lead to strange malfunctions should something break. This could potentially lead to safety risks, especially considering how reliant the entire car is on these systems. At least with mechanical parts, it’s quite obvious when something fails as you can feel it in the car’s operation, and it generally wears down over time.
The verdict here is that it’s inconclusive whether or not the design and maintenance of electric cars makes it superior in terms of safety to gas cars. They both have their own safety risks, but they are undoubtedly designed in ways that protect the user from being harmed–it just takes a different set of skills to maintain them correctly.
Pedestrian safety in electric and gas cars
One of the more interesting things to think about when it comes to car safety is how it relates to pedestrians. This has started to become a case with electric vehicles as their operation is a lot quieter than your average vehicle. This has led to some concerns over the safety of electric vehicles as a pedestrian, as people who are hard of hearing or just not paying attention may take longer to react to an electric vehicle.
In fact, it’s legally required for electric vehicles to make a certain amount of noise because they must warn nearby pedestrians and other road users that they are operating. Electric vehicles are certainly a marvel of science and their quiet operation is great for some people, but it has posed safety risks because they’re too quiet.
So to avoid needing a car accident lawyer because your silent car hit someone, some people have opted to stick with gas cars and are actually worried about colliding with an electric car that they didn’t hear. While there are undoubtedly legitimate concerns, it’s always best to practice safe defensive driving to ensure you never end up in an accident, electric car or not.
The regulatory compliance that electric and gas cars are subject to
Some people believe that electric and gas vehicles are subject to different kinds of regulatory compliance. This isn’t entirely true, although there are some requirements (such as artificial sound on electric cars) that need to be met and are only true for those types of vehicles.
In reality, there aren’t enough major differences in regulatory compliance for there to be a significant change in safety across electric and gas cars.
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The important conclusion everyone should understand
At the end of the day, both electric and gas cars have their own safety concerns and neither is significantly safer than the other. It ultimately comes down to your skill and awareness as a driver, and also the people around you. As long as you choose a car that has great built-in safety systems, the rest is all up to you and how you choose to drive your vehicle. Learn to drive defensively, improve your awareness of other drivers, and your chance of getting into an accident will be much lower regardless of the engine you use.
