The 10 Most Dangerous Cars According to Personal Injury Claims in the US
Shopping the car lot can be an exciting experience! Alternatively, for many, your vehicle selection is a necessity and not choice. Cost, proximity, availability and other factors all play into our decision as to whether or not to purchase and drive a vehicle – But what about the safety factor? With organizations like the National Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and R & D efforts within the auto industry, we have access to a wealth of information. Just as there are the top rated vehicles to drive, these annual reports also include the 10 worst vehicles to drive!
This list has been compiled based on a variety of factors, but the most prominent is the ability of the vehicle to be able to protect an individual in the event of an impact crash. Size, design and additional factors all play a role, but at the end of the day, the number of personal injury claims filed was the deciding factor for each vehicle listed.
The 10 Worst 2012-2014 Model Vehicles According to Personal Injury Claim Filings
- Mitsubishi Mirage – 113% higher than national average rate of claims
- Dodge Avenger – 84% higher than national claim average rate
- Nissan Versa – 78% higher than national average claim rate
- Nissan Versa Note – 78% higher than national average claim rate
- Kia Forte – 76% higher rate of claims
- Mitsubishi Lancer (2WD) – 76% higher claims than national average
- Nissan Rogue – 71% higher claim rate versus national average
- Chrysler 200 – 68% above national average claim rate
- Nissan Cube – 65% higher claim rate than the national average
- Kia Rio – 65% above the national claim rate average
Personal Injury in Automobile Accidents
From a personal injury standpoint, regardless of who is at fault in an accident the vehicle safety features and rating arguably have a huge impact. This study was based solely on the number of personal injury claims (losses) filed against these vehicles, regardless of who was at fault.
While the study does focus only on 2012-2014 models, it is stated that unless the manufacturer made major updates, this is a great indicator for current model years as well. Overall, it is a good idea to research car safety ratings prior to hitting the lot or shopping the sale ads.
