We all love cars. The more expensive they are, the more contentment we draw from admirers of our class, prosperity, and taste. The faster they are on the road, the more exhilarating the adrenaline rush. The more popular a car is among Hollywood’s A-list luminaries, the more connected we feel to the glamorous lifestyle. However, above all these, safety remains the most paramount aspect of any car you may want to drive. This, besides the price tag, is what you should consider before buying a new car or a used one either for personal use, for a family member, or a friend.
To ensure your safety behind the wheels, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is dedicated towards statistics and research concerning respective cars and driver deaths after every four years. This helps car lovers determine which used car to buy based on the fatality and safety – since new models can always be refurbished based on previous performance records.
How does the IIHS get the stats? By comparing the number of driver deaths per million vehicles registered. This does not include passenger deaths; only drivers. The make and maker of the automobile are tallied as well. In the previous study, cars and trucks manufactured by Chevrolet, Kia, Hyundai, and Nissan led in driver deaths in America since 2009.
From the lowest ranking to the highest, here’s the list of vehicles that proved fatal to drivers:
Ranking The Deadliest Cars By Fatality Statistics
Chevrolet Suburban
A luxury SUV, it’s unfortunate that such an enormous automobile’s reputation gets compromised by its road fatality record. According to IIHS, the Chevrolet Suburban road carnage toll is at 60 driver deaths per million registrations. This involves both multi-car and single-vehicle crashes.
Chevrolet HHR
The Chevrolet HHR stands at 61 driver deaths per million registrations. Despite its unappealing look, it’s still rolled out for resale as a used car. The GM model has left an indelible ugly stain on the roads as it’s among the leading automobiles in driver demise every year.
Nissan Cube
Ranked among the most embarrassing cars from the last decade, the Nissan has somehow lived up despite its low expectations. Despite its ridiculous shape, the station wagon’s driving test ratings were reassuring. This has been contrasted by claiming lives while on the road. Based on the IIHS stats, the Cube stands at 66 driver deaths per million registrations.
Ford Focus
According to the IIHS findings, small four-door cars were likely riskier in road accidents involving multi-vehicles. 55, out of 70 driver deaths per million registrations, were attributed to this. This staggering figure proves that the Ford Focus is a lethal machine and that caution is required when driving one.
Honda Civic
Its status as a cozy compact automobile has not spared its share of discredit in road wreckage with other vehicles. The Honda Civic has claimed lives of drivers both in single and multiple car crashes. The stats report 76 deaths per million registrations.
Chevrolet Silverado
While the previous vehicles are SUVs and salon cars, pick-up trucks are not exempt from the list. This four-wheel drive truck Silverado 1500 Crew Cab rivals the Honda Civic in road carnage stats. Single-vehicle crashes stand at 36 deaths per million while 40 deaths per million result from collision with more than one vehicle in one instant.
Chevrolet Camaro
The GM’s pride and joy due to its spacious interior and speed is responsible for the 80 per million registrations deaths of drivers as of the recent data by IIHS. It’s worth noting that the Chevy Camaro did not appear in the previous list. As for now, the Chevy’s single-vehicle crashes indicate a 60 per million registrations driver death toll.
Hyundai Accent Coupe
This relatively affordable sports coupe made its mark in the perishing of 86 drivers per million registrations. This contradicts its initial crash tests that gave an impression that the Hyundai Accent’s small size could render it easy to maneuver the roads. However, as data points out, 48 drivers died in per million registrations from single-vehicle crashes. As far as road safety is concerned, car size doesn’t seem to matter after all.
Chevrolet Aveo
The Aveo appeared in the 2011 research when a staggering 119 deaths per million registration were recorded. By 2015, new statistics showed a slight deviation with 99 driver deaths per registration, with a reduction in single-car crashes while multi-car crashes increased to 65 deaths per million registration. Chevy’s share in driver fatalities is alarming.
Hyundai Accent Sedan
The four-door sedan has, since 2009, claimed 120 deaths per million vehicle registrations. Stats by IIHS point out an equal rate in both single and multi-car crashes. This rivals its two-door counterpart on being ranked as the most unsafe Hyundai for drivers.
Nissan Versa
Small cars have particularly posed a great danger to drivers. The Nissan Versa took position nine in 2009’s ranking by IIHS as the most fatal sedan based on size and driver deaths per million vehicles registered. In 2015, it leaped to the second position. 130 drivers per a million registered vehicle perished within that period. 87 of the deaths per million resulted from single-vehicle crashes while 51 resulted from the sedan spinning out of control without other vehicles involved. The Versa sedan fatality is the highest on U.S. roads.
Kia Rio
Kia Rio is mostly used as a rental car. Ranked 11th in 2011, this model skyrocketed to the 1st position in 2015 after 149 drivers per million registered vehicles died on U.S. roads alone. The highest percentage of drivers meeting their demise was attributed to multiple-vehicle crashes. This translated to 96 driver deaths per million vehicle registrations. Side crashes were also a factor in Kai Rio’s leading as the deadliest car for drivers on the road today. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated it poorly in 2011.
In an overview, General Motors’s Chevrolet leads the pack in the deadliest automobiles on the road for any driver. With 5 cars on the list, GM as an automaker maintains its ranking from the previous list where it rivaled Nissan in producing automobiles that put drivers’ lives at risk.
