Nissan Versa (2015-19) Even still, it is one of the most dangerous cars on the road, according to 2020 car registrations and the number of road deaths. The overall safety of these vehicles is rated 'poor' according to the IIHS due to a small overlap on the front driver's side in a crash.
The F-150 is the most popular vehicle of any kind in the U.S., a distinction it's held for many years. But along with its stablemates, the larger F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks, the F-150 accounts for more fatal accidents than anything else on the road.
When looking for the most crashed car in America, we researched the highest rates of driver deaths per make and model with statistics provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Ford Fiesta tops the list with 141 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
Coming in first, by a clear margin, as the most reliable brand, was Mitsubishi. Sure enough, Toyota came in second, followed by Kia, Mazda, Suzuki, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Hyundai, Honda and Volkswagen.
Black Cars
Some research has revealed that black vehicles are the most dangerous on the road. At least one study found that you're 47 percent more likely to be in a crash if you drive a black vehicle. Other studies also find that black is the most dangerous color, but offer a more reserved projection.
1. Off-The-Road Crash. By far the most deadly type of car accident is when a vehicle veers off the roadway and crashes into another object, such as a telephone pole or a concrete pylon. These accidents are easily the most deadly, making up a tragic 32% of all fatal car accidents.
MUARC's determination is that white is the safest vehicle color. Why? In all types of weather and lighting, the visibility of a white vehicle rates much higher, particularly at night. In fact, the study showed there is a 12 percent less chance of accident involvement in a white car than a black one.
1 most damage-prone car, according to the study, is the Ferrari 458 Italia, which is a whopping 446 percent more damage-susceptible than the average for all other cars considered.
Very large SUVs had the lowest overall driver death rate of any vehicle category. There were some interesting exceptions. The Volkswagen Golf and the all-electric Nissan Leaf had driver death rates of zero and 5 per 10 billion miles, respectively.
The most dangerous car colors
Besides black, which ranked as most dangerous, other dangerous car colors are grey (11 percent higher risk), silver (10 percent higher risk), blue (7 percent higher risk), and red (7 percent higher risk).
As for the colors more often stolen, those that blend in with the crowd tend to be reported stolen the most, including white, gray, and silver models. The most common color of cars stolen is silver.
“Thankfully, color doesn't have much of an impact on price, so it's one less thing to worry about when purchasing a used car. That said, going with a common and readily available color, like white, grey, or silver, is typically the cheapest option.
Dying on Impact in a Car Accident
In a collision during which a person dies on impact, the death is usually caused by severe trauma to vital organs, such as the brain and the heart. This impact is often caused when a car slams into an immovable object at high speed, like a wall or tree.
In simpler terms: for every 10 mph of increased speed, the risk of dying in a crash doubles. In practical terms, increasing driving speed from 60 mph to 80 mph increases the risk of a fatal crash by 4 times.
Researchers found that pedestrians were more often killed by turning vehicles than by vehicles traveling straight. Left turns were more dangerous than right turns. And the type of vehicle mattered a great deal. Pickups were the deadliest, followed by vans, minivans, and SUVs.
The automotive research firm and car search engine found that Toyota drivers, along with 3-row SUV and truck drivers, are getting the longest potential lifespan from their vehicles. (Also keep in mind that vehicles that durable and reliable cars also tend to hold their resale value better than the average car. )