IIHS details average fatality rates 06/14/2011
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released a new report detailing the best and worst models in terms of average fatalities, a statistic that's sure to turn some heads.
The group compiled data on vehicles on the road from 2006 and 2009. All models were built between 2005-2008, so the data is really only relevant for those considering used cars. If a model has gone through a significant redesign, it's possible that the safety of the car got dramatically better or possibly even worse.
Cars at the bottom of the list all had more than 100 fatalities for every million "vehicle years" - the number of years that the model was on the road during the 06-09 window. Unfortunately for Nissan and GM, both companies had some of the worst models - the Titan and 350Z for Nissan along with the Aveo and Cobalt for Chevrolet. The Kia Spectra was also rated quite poorly.
There was a big difference between those cars and the ones at the top of the list, all of which averaged zero fatalities for every million years. Either these cars have never killed anyone or the amount is so low as to be statistically insignificant. Models with a perfect "zero" include the Ford Escape, Toyota Sienna, Nissan Armada, Land Rover LR3, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Audi A6.
This year's report also noted a shift in the types of vehicles that caused accidents. Previously, the bottom spots were all held by SUVs, as their propensity to rollover led to many fatalities. Automakers have since taken steps to address that, and SUVs are among the safest vehicles money can buy.
"The rollover risk in SUVs used to outweigh their size/weight advantage, but that’s no longer the case," said Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at IIHS.