According to the latest data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it’s estimated that around 42,939 Americans lost their lives in motor vehicle accidents in 2022. This number is very close to the previous year’s figure and is the highest in more than a decade. In the first quarter of this year, 9,330 Americans died due to road-related incidents. However, not all vehicles pose the same risk when it comes to traffic fatalities.
Despite considerable advancements in automotive safety features, certain vehicles still lag behind in safety measures. Within this spectrum, encompassing both poorly rated and highly rated vehicles, some are more predisposed to be involved in fatal accidents. In an effort to identify the most perilous cars in America, we have analyzed data on fatal car crashes from the NHTSA and car sales data, covering the years 2018 to 2020, with 2020 being the most recent year for crash data. The crash figures specifically pertain to vehicles from the model year 2018 or later. Models with sales fewer than 100,000 units over the three-year period or those lacking sales or crash data were excluded from the analysis.
Despite substantial improvements in vehicle safety standards, leading to rare instances of cars failing standard safety tests, some cars on this list received commendable ratings from safety assessment organizations. However, a few of them demonstrated mediocre or poor scores in the small overlap front crash test, devised by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
This test gauges the impact when the front corner of a vehicle collides with an object, as opposed to the entire front section absorbing the impact. Interestingly, three out of the four cars with the highest fatality rates per vehicle sold fall into the category of sports sedans, often chosen for their speed. Excessive speed remains a prominent factor contributing to motor vehicle fatalities.
Furthermore, many vehicles ranking near the top of this list, indicating their involvement in a higher number of crashes, belong to the compact and subcompact categories. According to a report from the IIHS, smaller vehicles inherently pose greater risks due to their reduced mass, rendering them more susceptible in collisions with larger vehicles, even if they boast favorable safety ratings.
- Chevrolet Impala
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 7.0 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 78
Sales, 2018-2020: 111,478 - Dodge Challenger
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 6.1 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 111
Sales, 2018-2020: 180,668 - Dodge Charger
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 6.0 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 152
Sales, 2018-2020: 254,588 - Chevrolet Camaro
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 5.7 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 74
Sales, 2018-2020: 129,006 - Chevrolet Cruze
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 5.0 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 96
Sales, 2018-2020: 191,376 - Ford Fiesta
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.9 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 56
Sales, 2018-2020: 115,232 - Chevrolet Malibu
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.4 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 163
Sales, 2018-2020: 367,496 - Nissan Versa
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.3 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 82
Sales, 2018-2020: 190,677 - Kia Soul
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.0 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 111
Sales, 2018-2020: 274,295 - Nissan Sentra
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.0 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 197
Sales, 2018-2020: 492,309 - Dodge Journey
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 4.0 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 83
Sales, 2018-2020: 209,124 - Kia Optima
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 3.9 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 95
Sales, 2018-2020: 246,137 - Kia Forte
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 3.8 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 106
Sales, 2018-2020: 282,570 - Hyundai Elantra
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 3.7 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 179
Sales, 2018-2020: 480,984 - Nissan Altima
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 3.6 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 200
Sales, 2018-2020: 556,317 - Ford Mustang
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 3.5 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 73
Sales, 2018-2020: 209,421 - Nissan Frontier
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 2.9 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 60
Sales, 2018-2020: 206,832 - Dodge Grand Caravan
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 2.6 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 82
Sales, 2018-2020: 313,340 - Toyota Corolla
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 2.6 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 219
Sales, 2018-2020: 845,761 - Toyota Camry
Fatal crashes to sales, 2018-2020: 2.6 per 10,000 sold cars
Fatal crashes, 2018-2020: 251
Sales, 2018-2020: 974,765
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