This Is The Deadliest Car In America, According To The IIHS

While car accidents can happen in any car, certain models have statistically led to more deaths than others. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety calculated the driver death rates for 2020 models and found that the Mitsubishi Mirage G4 subcompact had the most driver deaths under its serpentine belt. 

The IIHS shared its reasoning in a recent study on driver death rates by make and model, studying cars from around 2020. The vehicles in the study had at least 100,000 registered models or at least 20 reported deaths over the four years being studied. The overall driver death rate for the entirety of models studied from 2018 to 2021 was 38 driver deaths per 1 million registered cars and 53 deaths for non-drivers, including victims in other cars. The highest death rate, however, went to the Mistubishi Mirage G4 with a staggering 205 deaths per million registered cars.

The discontinued Mitsubishi Mirage G4 is considered a small car, and that's where a lot of its safety concerns lie. While newer small cars have become safer in recent years, small cars are still riskier to drive than bigger cars. The IIHS found that heavier vehicles will push a lighter car backward when they collide, reducing the force on the driver and passengers in the heavier vehicle. This is why larger vehicles, such as SUVs, have fewer deaths per million registered vehicles — 13 deaths versus the average 64 deaths for subcompacts. 

The Mirage is already at a disadvantage in a crash due to its size. However, the IIHS also identified specific issues with the Mirage during its safety tests. During a crash test, the dummy's head was left vulnerable due to the positioning of the frontal airbag, and the seatbelt failed to prevent the dummy from jerking forward. 

In later models, the length of the side curtain airbag was extended to protect the dummy's head from contacting the side of the car, which provided some additional protection. However, its structure and safety cage were given a marginal rating, the second lowest on its scale. The Mirage G4 is also not equipped with a front crash prevention system, another concerning strike against it.

While minicars have the highest death rates, the IIHS pointed out that six of the 21 vehicle models from 2020 that were the most likely to kill drivers were muscle cars. This included the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Charger, and Ford Mustang, which is known to spin out. "We typically find that smaller vehicles have high driver death rates because they don't provide as much protection, especially in crashes with larger, heavier SUVs and pickups," said IIHS President David Harkey. "The muscle cars on this list highlight that a vehicle's image and how it is marketed can also contribute to crash risk."

While muscle cars have many safety features that improve their safety ratings, the abundance of muscle cars in the death rate study is likely due to how the cars are driven. The IIHS pointed out that the Dodge Charger HEMI's marketing was focused on its power and incredible acceleration, the Chevrolet Camaro's marketing mentions words like "dominate" and "extreme," and the Ford Mustang is marketed as offering "unlimited thrills" to drivers. "We can measure horsepower and weight and test for crashworthiness. However, the deadly record of these muscle cars suggests that their history and marketing may be encouraging more aggressive driving," Harkey concluded.