It’s an indisputable fact that vehicles are getting bigger. For the most part, people feel that with all of those extra features and space, these bigger vehicles are usually safer. However, new data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is saying “not so fast.” While bigger cars do provide a high level of protection for their drivers, they’re reportedly among the most dangerous vehicles on the road for the drivers of other cars.
Automotive News reports that the IIHS found that smaller vehicles always have higher death rates, and the agency contends that is due to simple physics. A spokesperson for the agency said that when a larger vehicle hits a smaller vehicle, the larger vehicle wins. Basically, if you’ve got a larger vehicle, it’s selfish because you’re going to maim the poor schmuck you hit with it.
The outlet reports that of the 20 models with the highest rates of death for drivers of other vehicles, seven of them are “large or very large” pickup trucks.
If you are wondering, minicars had the highest driver death rates. Meanwhile, midsize cars and SUVs made up 17 of the 20 models with the lowest driver death rates and 12 of the 20 models with the lowest other-driver death rates.
An interesting tidbit is the fact that some vehicles rank highest in death rates for their own drivers and are among the highest for other drivers. You will not be surprised to learn what types of vehicles appear on both lists: muscle cars. Color me shocked. A number of luxury vehicles appeared on the opposite side of both lists — lowest deaths — and they had as much horsepower as some of the muscle cars that topped both lists. Vehicle image could be a factor.
“Luxury cars are associated with ease and comfort,” the IIHS said in a statement reported by AutoNews. “In contrast, muscle cars on this list are associated with the early days of the drag strip, as illustrated by features like racing stripes, hood scoops and spoilers, and that seems to influence how they’re driven.”
Basically, the IIHS is saying muscle cars are more likely to be driven by goobers than luxury cars. Not too surprising.
The outlet reports that the average death rate for the newest vehicles on the road has been increasing every year since 2011. The IIHS reportedly said it’s because newer vehicles are more crashworthy than many older vehicles. So, if a newer vehicle crashes into an older one, it’s more likely the driver of the older vehicle will not have a good crash result.
For 2020 model year vehicles, the average driver death rate was 38 per 1 million registered vehicles. That number includes models as far back as 2017 if they were not substantially redesigned. For those same cars, the average other driver death rate was 53 per 1 million registered vehicles.