From Small Sedan to Muscle Car to SUV: Which Type of Vehicle is the Most Dangerous in a Car Accident?

Most Ventura drivers probably have heard at one time or another that “small cars are more dangerous” on the road, compared to SUVs, trucks, and other larger vehicles. Indeed, with lifted trucks, hummers, and Sport Utility Vehicles sharing the streets and highways with sedans, coups, and small cars, it makes sense that larger, heavier motor vehicles have the increased potential to crush, smash, and kill. Is it just a commonly held belief that smaller cars are more dangerous on the road, or is there hard data to back-up this belief? To help keep drivers safer on the road, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) investigated this question.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Study Reveals Surprising Facts about Muscle Car Safety

In July 2023, the IIHS released a report entitled, “Driver Death Rates by Make and Model”, as part of its periodic review of driver death rates by car model. The study revealed something surprising about driver and occupant deaths when it came to muscle cars. As Car and Driver Magazine reports, while the IIHS found in prior years that small cars were typically the most dangerous type of car, in 2023, the IIHS study concluded that a whopping 6 out of the top 21 most dangerous vehicles were muscle cars. Some of those car models include the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, and Ford Mustang.

Importantly, however, the study in 2023 included deaths by any person involved in a fatal car accident, and not just car drivers. In prior years, the IIHS only included fatal accidents where the driver of the car was killed. The IIHS noted that muscle cars are typically marketed and used in an “aggressive” driving manner, which may contribute to how dangerous they are. The IIHS summed its study up, stating, “[w]e typically find that smaller vehicles have high driver death rates because they don’t provide as much protection…[t]he muscle cars on this list highlight that a vehicle’s image and how it is marketed can also contribute to crash risk.”

Legal Help for Car Accident Victims in Ventura

Regardless of the type of car involved in your accident, serious and deadly car accidents can and do happen every day. Sometimes these accidents have less to do with the make and model of the car, and more to do with the actions of the person driving the vehicle. In Ventura, when a person is injured in a car accident due to another person’ negligence, they may be entitled to compensation for their injuries and losses under California personal injury laws.

If you were injured in a car accident in Ventura, contact the experienced Ventura car accident lawyers at Zavala Law, PC. The experienced Ventura personal injury lawyers at Zavala Law, PC offer a free and confidential consultation to learn about your case to see if they can help. Contact Zavala Law, PC today and speak to a lawyer about your rights and options for free.

Source:

iihs.org/ratings/driver-death-rates-by-make-and-model