IIHS Says Hybrids Safer Due to Extra Battery Weight

"People who invest in hybrid cars are significantly less likely to be injured in an accident because their heavy batteries make the vehicles safer than traditional cars, according to an insurance industry report released Thursday." Typically, hybrids are "10 percent heavier than a traditional car of the same size, and the extra heft reduces the odds of being hurt in a crash by 25 percent, the report says." The data were released by the Highway Loss Data Institute, "an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety." Read more.