Volvo 240 and Saab 9000 Rate Best Among 178. Computing driver death rates
lor cars, pickups, utility vehicles, and passenger vans during a live-year period, ...
SPECIAL ISSUE: DEATH RATES BY VEHICLE MAKE, SERIES I,~URANCE
I"ISTITUTE
FOR HIGH\XAY SAFETY Vol. 3O,No. 9
Vehicle by Vehicle Death Rate Comparisons; Volvo 240 and Saab 9000 Rate Best Among 178
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October 14. 1995
Computing driver death rates lor cars, pickups, utility vehicles, and passenger vans during a live-year period, Institute researchers found the Geo Tracker has the highest death rate - 3,2 deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles. In contrast are the cars with low rates. Only 0.1 driver deaths per 10,000 registered vehi· c1es occurred in 1990-93 model Volvo 2405 during calendar years 1990-94. The rate was almost as low in 1989-93 Saab 90005 with 0.2 deaths per 10,000. "With death rales that are almost three times the average for all passenger vehicles, the hliO·wheekirive Geo Tracker and the Chevrolet Corvette are the worsV says Institute President Brian O'Neill. -This is the first year we've had results lor the Tracker, but the Corvette perennially has a very high driver death rate.~ (See Status Report, Vol. 29, No. II,
2 S'otus Report, Vol. 30, No.9, October /4, /995 Oct. 8. 1994.) This year, the Corvette has the next·worst rate among aI passenger vehicles the Institute studied - 3.0 deaths per 10.IlOO. Driver death rates for both the Tracker. a small utility vehicle, and Corvette are nearly three times the average 01 1.1 per 10,000 registered vehicles. The 10 best passenger vehicles have death rates about one-third of the average or lower. The 10 worst have rates that are almost - or in most cases, more than twice as high as average (Sl.'e lists. facing page). Atotal of 178 popular passenger vehicles are included in the study. Bigger Is Better: Among the 10 passenger vehicles with the highest driver death rates, 9are small and 1is midsize. None is large Five of the 10 are small two-door cars, 2 are small utility vehicles, 2 are sports cars, and I is a small pickup truck. All 10 vehicles with the lowest driver death rates are either large or midsize. lone is small. Two are passenger vans, I is a station wagon, I a utility vehicle, and the other 6vehicles with the lowest rates are large or midsize sedans. All but I of the 10 best passenger vehicles are equipped with air bags at least on the driver side. Only the Volkswagen Passat doesn't have this feature. In contrast, all but 2of the worst vehicles have safety belts only - no air bag. Deaths in Single·Vehicle Rollovers: The Geo Tracker and Chevrolet Corvette have not only the highest overall death rates but also the highest rates of driver death in single-vehicle crashes. Along with the Isuzu Amigo - a small utility vehicle with the third highest overall rate among the 178 passenger vehicles - these are
the only ones with single-vehicle death rates higher than 2.0 per IO.IXMJ registered vehicles. The average single-vehicle rate for all passenger vehicles in the Institute's study is 0.5 per 10.000. Many of these single-vehicle crashes involve rolling over. The Tracker's driver death rale in rollover crashes is more than six times the average for all cars 20 per 10,000 registered vehicles com· pared with an average of 0.3. Differences Among Similar Vehicles: Death rates are influenced by driver char· acteristics as well as vehicle design. Comparisons among passenger vehicles of similar size and body style are the most useful because their driver characteristics are more likely to be similar. Yet wide differences still distinguish vehicles within the same size and body style group. For example: . . Among small tw
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Utlmy Vehicles: All Large Utitlty Vehicles: All Midsize Jaep Grand Cheroi'4 91·93 Nlssan Pathfinder 4dr 4x4 Jeep Cherokee 4dr FOfd Elcplorer 2dr 4x4 91·93 91·93 GMC T15 Jimmy 4dr 4x4 GMC T15 Jimmy 2dr 4.4 89-93 89-93 Chavrolet Tl0 Blazer 2dr 4x4 ToyotII4Runner 4dr Wagon 4x4 Isuzu Rodeo 4dr 91·93 Isuzu Rodeo 4dr 4x4 91·93 ChIlvrolel S 10 Blazer 2dr 89·93 Chevrolet S 10 Blazer 4dr 91·93
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Utility Vehicles: All Smsll 89-93 Jeep Wrang~' 89·93 Suzuk' Sidaluck 2dr 4,4 Goo Tracker 4,4 89·93 89·93 Isuzu Amigo Goo Tracker 91·93 Pickups: All Stendsrd GMC2SOO4x4 89-93 89-93 Ford F-350 89-93 GMC2500 Ford F-350 4,4 89-93 Ford F-I50 89-93 FOtd F·250 4x4 89·93 FOfd F·250 89·93 FOfd F·l50 4X4 89·93 Chevrolet 2500 4x4 89-93 89·93 DodI'Ie 0150 89-93 Chev'olet 2500 Dodge W250 4~4 89·93 GMC 1500 69·93 Chevrolet 1500 B9·93 GMC 1500 4x4 89·93 B9·93 """'" 0", Chevrolet 15OO4x4 B9·93 Dodge Wl50 4,4 89·93 Pickups: All SmsJl Dodge Dakota 4x4 89·93 Mazda regular/extend. cab 89·93 Toyota ,egular/extalld. cab 89·93 GMCTI54,4 89·93 FOtd Ranger 89.93 Dodge Dakola Toyota regular/exlend. cab 4,4 89·93 Isuzu ,egula,lextand cab 89-93 Dodge Aam50 Chevrolet Tl0 2dr 4~4 89-93 "." M~Sllblshl ragular/e,tand. cab Nissan regu~r/e~tend. cab B9·93 GMC S15 89·93 Mazda regula,/eldend, cab 4,4 89·93 Nlssan regula'/e~tend. cab 4,4 89·93 ChevroleiS10 89-93
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Vol, 30, No.9, October 14, 1995
Special Issue This special Status Repor/ focuses on passenger vehicle death rates by make and series. Other special issues have focused on the following subjects: Whiplash Injuries Air Bag Efleetive"es, I&Year.()ld Drivers Ile4th Rates by Make, Series
30:8, 1995 30:3, 1995 29:13,1994 29:11,1994 MiS 29:8, 1994 One Day of Fatal Crashes 28:12, 1993 Air Bags in Perspective 28:11,1993 Safety Belt law, 28:6, 1993 1993 Low-Speed Crash Test' 28:3,1993 Vehicle Research Cenler 28:1,1993 Automobile Crash Testing 27:15,1992 Crash Investigations 27:13,1992 Fatal Crashes per Mile 27:11,1992
Lilata Didatal
STATUS ~REPORT
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Dlleftor of PubllcatlonslEditor: Anne Fleming Writers: M~II~ Kaufmann, Kim Lancaster, and Shron 1. Rasmussen Editorial Assistant: Carle!le Hughes Art Director: Joyce Thomp$Oll Graphic Designer: Leslie Oakey
The: lnSLIance Inst!lule lor liighway Safety is an Indepen· dent. nonprofit scielltillc and educalionll OJBanlzalion. II Is dedlcaled to reducing I~ losses - dellh$. Injuries, aDd property d&maBe - resulling from aaslles on the Dilion's hlghWl.)'S The Inslltute is supponed by the Amerian Insur~ ttigh..'Jy Slfety Assocmlon. the Arnel'iCJf\ Insurus Highway s.fety Al1lwt, the /Qtionll A$$OWtion 01 D:Iependent lIlsurtrl Safety AuodatiOn. aDd a numbtr 01 inlfl\lduaIlo5urll'lCe compwes CCII!eIUS lNy be repJbrlShed wboIe. Of .n put. with lltribution.l ~ ;art no! fIO'Il rec:eWInI St