As a driver, chances are you’re aware of vehicle safety ratings as determined by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). These ratings, often touted in auto ads, provide shoppers with data to help determine which cars are safer choices. This IIHS study is a bit different — it reveals cars in which there are greater chances of dying behind the wheel. The following data represents 2011 models; however, stats from as far back as model-year 2008 are included if the vehicles weren’t substantially redesigned before 2011.
Some good news: Overall, the odds of a driver dying in a crash in a late-model car have fallen by more than one-third in the last three years, thanks in a large part to advances in vehicle design and safety technology. To make this list, a vehicle must have had at least 100,000 registered vehicle years of exposure during 2009-12, or at least 20 driver deaths. Fatality counts are taken from the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Registration data comes from R.L. Polk & Co. These ratings are based on American vehicle safety standards.
Let's take a look at them
