While there remains a greater likelihood of a Prius or other hybrid-electric vehicle being involved in a crash with a pedestrian or cyclist over a conventionally-powered vehicle, the incidence has decreased since 2009.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report was distributed by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies. It was prepared to update the 2009 study. As with that study, "sound and frequency" may continue to be a major contributing factor. Incidence rates differ for pedestrian and cyclist crashes.
"In 2009 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the report "Incidence of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crashes by Hybrid Electric (HE) Passenger Vehicles" with the finding that an HE vehicle was two times more likely to be involved in a pedestrian crash than an Internal Combustion Vehicle (ICE) in situations involving low-speed maneuvers (Hanna, 2009)."
NHTSA released the new study on Oct. 1 to update these findings. The report (PDF) indicates that "(o)verall, the odds ratios indicate that the odds of an HE vehicle being in either a pedestrian or bicycle crash are greater, 35 percent and 57 percent respectively, than the odds of an ICE vehicle being in a similar crash."
From Conclusions And Discussions:
"The largest difference between the incidence rates of HE versus ICE vehicles in this study occurred in low-speed passenger vehicle maneuvers: those in which a vehicle is turning, slowing or stopping, backing up, or entering or leaving a parking space.
Similar to the results presented in NHTSA's previous study (Hanna, 2009), the odds of an HE vehicle being involved in a pedestrian crash was 1.66 times the odds of an ICE vehicle being involved in a similar crash. It is hypothesized that these low-speed vehicle maneuvers may provide the largest difference between the vehicle sounds, in terms of both sound level and
frequency, produced by the HE versus ICE vehicles, and this sound difference may further contribute to the crash rate difference between HE and ICE vehicles.
This similar finding also held in bicycle crashes but with a lower odds ratio of 1.33"
Thanks to TRB E-Newsletter
FULL STORY: Incidence Rates of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crashes by Hybrid Electric Passenger Vehicles: An Update

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.

Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
Proposed state legislation would close a ‘legal gap’ that lets drivers who kill get away with few repercussions.

Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions