A study revealed the most dangerous vehicle brands on the road. You wouldn't expect the first place
Almost double the number of fatal traffic accidents compared to average vehicles is caused by a single brand. Despite this, its vehicles receive high ratings in safety tests, but they still cannot influence driver behavior.
Modern technologies, high safety test ratings, or ever-improving assistant and autopilot functions – these are exactly the reasons why many drivers in the USA are increasingly choosing to purchase electric vehicles from Tesla. However, it is the drivers of this brand's vehicles who have been shown to be responsible for the highest number of fatal traffic accidents.
As shown by data from the website iSeeCars, the brand Tesla is, at least in terms of the number of fatal traffic accidents in the USA, at the top. For every 1.6 billion kilometers driven, Tesla vehicles account for an average of 5.6 fatal accidents. Although the automaker is first in this regard, it is closely followed by South Korean Kia, which ended with an average of 5.5 fatal accidents per 1.6 billion kilometers according to the data.
The worst situation is with the Model Y, which is also among the best-selling. In its case, the number of fatal traffic accidents is almost five times higher than with SUVs from other brands. The older Model S is not faring much better – it has an accident rate of 5.8 per the aforementioned 1.6 billion kilometers on average.
Although based on these data it might seem that vehicles from America's Tesla have a safety problem, this is not the case. The vehicles themselves, as already mentioned, are among those that regularly earn high scores in crash tests and other tests assessing vehicle safety. The main problem is the drivers of these vehicles themselves who likely, perhaps also due to reliance on assistants or autonomous driving, do not pay as much attention while driving. This consequently ends in accidents with horrifying consequences.
The statistics from iSeeCars also indicated another interesting, though relatively well-known factor, which is the size of the vehicle. Small cars, compared to medium and large vehicles, led by sizeable SUVs, have a markedly higher number of fatal traffic accidents. Although their safety is gradually increasing thanks to functional assistive systems, physics cannot be overcome. Small vehicles still have a large disadvantage in their size and weight when colliding with a large personal vehicle, truck, or bus, which is often decisive in whether the crew survives the accident.
