There is a popular internet meme about Mustangs crashing into spectators while leaving Cars and Coffee events, but new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) suggests that’s no laughing matter.
The organization releases data every three years about on-road fatalities. This year, for the first time, it broke the numbers down by vehicle model, and found that among the 21 vehicles with the highest death rates for their drivers, six muscle cars were listed.
Among the most deadly vehicles, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Challenger and Charger, and the Ford Mustang were all present. The Dodge vehicles were also listed among the vehicles likeliest to be involved in accidents that killed other drivers.
“The muscle cars on this list highlight that a vehicle’s image and how it is marketed can also contribute to crash risk,” said David Harkey, IIHS president. “The deadly record of these muscle cars suggests that their history and marketing may be encouraging more aggressive driving.”
Vehicles With Highest Death Rates For Their Own Drivers
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These vehicles’ inclusion on the list also points to wider trends in the data gathered by the IIHS. For example, while muscle cars were noted for their deadliness, more expensive sports cars appeared on the list less frequently.
While there exist differences in how a Dodge Challenger and an Audi A5 are marketed, premium vehicles are also likely to come with more standard safety technologies. The Dodge also features fewer passive safety features, and gets only a marginal rating in IIHS crash testing.
That’s a reality that exists across the wider marketplace, not just sports cars. Luxury vehicles are disproportionately represented on the organization’s lists of safest vehicles, while cheaper vehicles that offer safety features as options, are better represented among the lists of vehicles involved in more deadly accidents.
“The models that rank among the best and worst performers on both lists point to the unfortunate fact that vehicle cost remains a factor in road safety,” Harkey said.
As with expensive and affordable vehicles, a safety disparity also exists between small and large vehicles that this new data highlights. While small, inexpensive vehicles are likely to be dangerous to their own driver, the picture flips when it comes to vehicles that pose a danger to other drivers.
Seven of the 20 vehicles involved in accidents in which the driver of another vehicle died are large or very large pickup trucks. Four more are midsize SUVs, pointing to the conclusion that in addition to being more dangerous for pedestrians, these vehicles are deadlier for all other road users.
Vehicles With Highest Death Rates For Other Drivers