Can Your Car Kill You?
When it comes to safety features in cars, what do you look for? If you are like many people, you look for side-curtain airbags, automatic seat belts and even anti-lock braking systems. But what about the vehicle itself?
Growing up, your parents might have told you bigger was better. If not better, bigger was definitely safer. They may have actually been right. In a study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, vehicles that were the smallest and cheapest tended to have more driver fatalities than others on the road.
Cheap may have just been a coincidence. It stands to reason that the smaller cars are less expensive. Taking cost out of the equation, the cars more likely to be in an accident involving driver fatality are compact models, popular among young people and commuters. Here is the list of 2008 – 2011 model year vehicles that were found to be the most dangerous for drivers:
- Kia Rio four-door
- Nissan Versa
- Hyundai Accent four-door
- Chevrolet Aveo
- Hyundai Accent two-door
- Chevrolet Camaro
- Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew
- Honda Civic two-door
- Nissan Versa hatchback
- Ford Focus
If you own one of these vehicles, should you get rid of it? Of course not. But you should take this information on board and maybe drive a bit more carefully than you normally do. It should be noted that the number of deaths was taken out of 1,000,000 accidents and that the vehicle in the number one spot had 149 deaths.
Researchers pointed out that these cars tend to be some of the lightest of their model years. If they crumple in an accident, seat belts don’t always function properly and airbags may not make a difference. They also say that all cars have made major safety improvements in this latest study. That said, the improvements are not fail-safes.
If you have been injured in a car accident, please call our team of experienced car accident attorneys in Austin. We will review the details of your accident with you and advise you of your options. Your initial consultation is free. Call us today or browse our website to learn more about our firm and how we can assist you.