Smaller, Lower Priced Cars - Are You Willing to Sacrifice Safety for Savings

A study done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows the riskiest cars with the highest death rates are mostly lower-priced, smaller cars. The chances of losing your life in a car crash in a late-model vehicle have fallen by more than a third in three years, the latest IIHS calculations of driver death rates show. Among 2011 models, a record nine vehicles have driver death rates of zero. See the top five vehicles below. However, the gap between the safest and riskiest models remains wide, and three cars have death rates exceeding 100 per million registered vehicle years.

Below are the top ten models with the most car crash deaths:

1. Kia Rio, 4-door car

2. Nissan Versa sedan, 4-door car

3. Hyundai Accent, 4-door car

4. Chevrolet Aveo, 4-door car

5. Hyundai Accent, 2-door car

6. Chevrolet Camaro coupe, sports car

7. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew 4WD, pickup

8. Honda Civic, 2-door car

9. Nissan Versa hatchback, 4-door car

10. Ford Focus, 4-door car

It's looking like the safest models were all mid-sized to large vehicles. Nine models with zero deaths were:

1. Audi A4 four-wheel drive, a midsized luxury car

2. Honda Odyssey, a minivan

3. Kia Sorento two-wheel drive, a mid-sized SUV

4. Lexus RX 350 four-wheel drive, a midsized luxury SUV

5. Mercedes-Benz GL-Class four-wheel drive, a large luxury SUV

6. Subaru Legacy four-wheel drive, a 4-door midsized car

7. Toyota Highlander hybrid, a four-wheel drive midsized SUV

8. Toyota Sequoia, a four-wheel drive large SUV

9. Volvo XC90, a four-wheel drive luxury midsized SUV

Among the improvements credited for declining death rates is the widespread adoption of electronic stability control, stronger occupant compartments. Read the full article at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

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