My car is falling apart. It’s a 1998 so that shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s an ugly thing. On the outside the dents on the doors and hood are only partially camouflaged by the dirt and grime buildup. The back left bumper is smashed in. Don’t ask how that happened.
The interior is worse. The driver’s seat is a replacement and it doesn’t match the passenger’s seat. One seat is grey, one is blue. There are holes in the upholstery, stains on the floor and the ceiling is shedding. Yes, shedding. In the last few months I’ve had issues with the battery, the brakes, and other assorted necessities.
The latest problem? My radio doesn’t work anymore. I work in radio, and the radio in my car doesn’t work. That’s not good.
Needless to say, I’m starting to come to the conclusion that I need a new vehicle. While thinking about what car to get, I’ve thought about gas mileage, certain bells and whistles (like a functioning radio) and overall reliability. One thing I didn’t really think about was safety. That was until Thursday. Now safety is top of mind.
On Thursday, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety released a study on fatality rates in newer vehicles. The numbers were eye-opening. The five vehicles with the highest number of deaths per million registered vehicle years, 2011 and equivalent earlier models, 2009-12 were:
1. Kia Rio - 149 deaths
2. Nissan Versa sedan - 130 deaths
3. Hyundai Accent (4 door) – 120 deaths
4. Chevrolet Aveo – 99 deaths
5. Hyundai Accent (2 door) – 86 deaths
One the other side of the ledger, there were nine vehicles with no deaths per million registered vehicle years, 2011 equivalent earlier models, 2009-12:
- Audi A4 4WD
- Honda Odyssey
- Kia Sorento 2WD
- Lexus RX 350 4WD
- Mercedes-Benz GL-Class 4WD
- Subaru Legacy 4WD
- Toyota Highlander hybrid 4WD
- Toyota Sequoia 4WD
- Volvo XC90 4WD
Interesting to note that of the nine vehicles that didn’t have any fatalities, seven were four-wheel drive.
I’m still trying to decide what my next car will be, but I certainly will take these statistics into account.
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