From minimizing your environmental footprint to saving money on maintenance and repair costs, owning an electric car clearly has its benefits. Now, we would like to make the case for EVs stronger by helping you understand how they could also make our roads safer.
According to the World Health Organization, road traffic injuries are the eighth leading cause of death for people of all ages, and the number one cause of death for people between five and 29 years old. Wider expansion of electric transportation could change these statistics for the better. As electric cars are becoming increasingly popular, our roads could become a lot safer both because of how these cars are driven and the mechanics inside them.
Although academic research is still scarce, anecdotal evidence suggests EV drivers are warier of conserving energy and drive differently as a result. One of the main ways to preserve a car’s charge is to drive more slowly, which saves battery. Other ways include reducing the amount of stop-start driving, as well as accelerating and braking more gently. On top of helping save battery life, these guidelines also have a secondary impact of making the driver safer.
Another aspect of owning an electric car is the extended breaks to charge, particularly on long journeys. This means that drivers are more likely to take a rest and grab some food or a coffee during these breaks. This, in turn, can help them concentrate better on long journeys and thus improve safety as well.
On the mechanical side of things, electric car design components make them safer than their internal combustion counterparts. While the latter typically have one engine, when it comes to electric cars, it’s normal to have two and sometimes even four in the same vehicle.
This means that, compared to fossil fuel-powered vehicles, electric cars can tap into the principle of “torque vectoring” — the possibility of distributing traction or braking to different motors within the vehicle — which is a big safety feature because this enhances the car’s stability on the road.
As a result, this can influence the car’s cornering response, making it safer, particularly in critical conditions such as avoiding a crash when turning a corner too fast or swerving to avert an obstacle.
On top of benefiting both the planet and your wallet, the added bonus of having safer roads as a result of expanding the global EV fleet should make going electric an easy choice for prospective drivers.
