No matter what they told you at the dealership, not all cars offer the same level of safety in an accident. Ratings and tests do not tell the whole story. You deserve to know about the risks that you face.
One way to do this is simply to look at the statistics. How many people die in car accidents, how do those accidents occur, and what vehicles see the highest death rates? Here are some key statistics to consider:
- The Hyundai Accent, which is a four-door sedan, saw 71 deaths per 1 million registered vehicles, and that was just looking at multi-vehicle wrecks. It also saw 22 fatalities in single-car rollovers and 11 fatalities in other one-car crashes that were not rollovers. This put it at the top of the list in one study, which came out in 2017.
- Another car high on the list was the Scion tc, a two-door car. There were 46 fatalities in multi-car crashes, per 1 million registered vehicles. There were also 27 deaths in rollovers and 31 deaths in additional single-car wrecks.
- One of the safest cars — and this may surprise some people — was the Ford Mustang convertible. There were no rollover deaths. There were a mere 6 deaths per 1 million registered vehicles in single-car accidents and 50 deaths in multi-car accidents. While that is higher than the Scion in multi-car crashes, it ranks much lower overall.
It is important to consider safety when you buy a new car. However, the roads are unpredictable, and anyone can be injured in a crash, in any vehicle. If you get hurt in a car accident due to someone else’s negligence or an unsafe vehicle, make sure you find out if you have a right to financial compensation for your injuries.
