Death on the Road: 10 of the Most Perilous Cars in the U.S

Many Americans drive safely every day. Even so, deadly accidents happen regularly, and some brands have become notoriously known for death on the roads.  Based on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, these are the deadliest cars in America.

10 Dangerous Cars on American Roads 

1 – Kia

Kia ranked 10th as the automaker with the most fatalities between 2018 and 2021. The Kia brand was involved in 2,834 fatal crashes during this period, accounting for 2 percent of all vehicle-related fatalities. The Kia Optima was engaged in the fatal crashes, with 591 deaths. 

2 – Hyundai 

The South Korean automaker Hyundai, the country’s largest automaker, comes in ninth place on the list of the deadly auto brands. The number of fatal crashes involving Hyundais during that period totaled 3,766, or 3 percent of all fatal accidents involving all vehicles. 1,116 people died in crashes involving the Hyundai Elantra. 

3 – Jeep

Among the top 10 auto brands involved in fatal accidents, Jeep ranks eighth. NHTSA shows 4,138 fatal Jeep accidents or 3% for all vehicles.

Out of all Jeep models, the Grand Cherokee has been involved in fatal crashes with 1,420. Second in fatal crashes is the Wrangler, with 1,012 fatalities.

4 – GMC

In the 3-year period, there were 4,533 fatal collisions involving GM vehicles, which places General Motors seventh on this list. The percentage for all vehicles is 4 percent. There were 2,093 fatal crashes involving the Sierra, which is GMC’s most popular model. The Yukon has 513 fatal crashes, followed by the Envoy with 393. 

5 – Nissan

Sixth on this list of car manufacturers that are most involved in fatal accidents is Nissan. Nissan vehicles caused 7,956 fatalities in the study period, which is 6 percent of all auto-related fatalities. 

The Altima was involved in 2,248 fatal accidents. There were 1,092 fatal crashes involving the Sentra and 648 concerning the Maxima.

There are times when all vehicles are at risk of being involved in fatal crashes more than usual in America, even though deadly crashes generally have hovered between 30,000 and 35,000 over the past few years. Holidays are the worst.

A fatal accident is more likely to occur during the holidays than at other times.  According to JTL, You should never speak to the insurance agent or the defendant’s lawyer in the wake of a car accident, and you should not sign a contract until you have consulted an experienced personal injury attorney

6 – Dodge 

On this list of the fatal vehicle manufacturers, Dodge comes in fifth. The Dodge auto brand was involved in 7,983 fatal crashes of all auto fatalities during this study period. There were 2,827 fatal crashes involving the RAM, which is the Dodge model with the deadliest crashes. 

With 704 and 608 fatal crashes, respectively, the Dodge Charger and the Dakota ranked second and third-worst.

7 – Honda

Honda is the fourth-most frequently involved automaker in fatal crashes. The number of Hondas involved in deadly crashes during our study period was 10,967, or 10% of all deadly crashes.

The Honda Accord is Honda’s most deadly model, with 3129 fatal crashes reported. There were 1,102 fatal crashes involving the Honda CR-V and 605 fatal crashes involving the Honda Odyssey. 

As well as the defective auto makes, other factors play a huge role in fatal crashes. One of them is where you live, specifically, your state. Southward travel is often associated with higher traffic fatality rates, so take extra caution when traveling through the South.

 8 – Toyota

Japanese automaker Toyota shows up in third place. There were 12,918 fatal crashes involving Toyotas between 1995 and 1997, or approximately 10 percent of all fatal accidents involving all vehicles.

In total, 3,033 fatalities were attributed to Toyota Camry models. Toyota’s Corolla ranked second with 2,179 deaths, and Toyota’s Tacoma ranked third with 1,172 deaths.

Previously, Toyota was in the spotlight for selling a defective vehicle that suddenly accelerated, eventually resulting in 89 deaths.  

9 – Chevrolet 

Among the deadliest automakers, Chevrolet ranks second. Twenty-four hundred and fifty-five Chevrolets died in crashes during our study period, which makes up 16 percent of all fatal crashes.

Silverado was the model which had the highest number of fatal accidents with 5,187. In terms of fatal crashes, this year’s Impala ranked second and the Malibu third based on 1,639 fatal crashes each.

10 – Ford

Ford causes the most deaths on the road. The number of deaths involving Ford cars during the three-year period was 21,262, or 17.6%.  There were 4,427 fatal crashes involving the Ford F-150, which accounted for the most fatalities. It was followed by the Ford Explorer, which had 1,893 fatal crashes, and the F-250, which had 1,710.

Age group is another factor that influences the number of fatal accidents. Based on many recent findings, millennials are involved in more fatal crashes than teenage drivers and elderly drivers.