America’s Deadliest Cars

Perhaps one of the most dangerous risks we take every day, without even noticing, is taking a trip out in our cars. Every year in the U.S, there are thousands of road accidents resulting in fatalities and life-threatening injuries. Both the driver and passengers are at serious risk, and despite the safety precautions we take with seatbelts, airbags and crumple zones, we continue to see an alarming increase in injuries caused by automotive accidents.

The cause of someone being involved in a road traffic accident could boil down to many different factors, such as the personal circumstances of the driver, the actions of other road users, and the road quality. Another risk factor could be the type of vehicle they are driving and its suitability for the road.

While many car crashes are often the driver’s fault, usually down to inexperience behind the wheel, speeding and drunk driving, let’s consider the vehicles themselves. Are there some models that are more likely than others to become involved in accidents?

When looking at car crash statistics in the U.S., this definitely seems to be the case. While there are some striking similarities in the data, it’s worth noting that some areas are far riskier than others to drive in. With this in mind, we at 1-800-Injured wanted to identify the car makes and models that had been involved in the most accidents, in each U.S. state.

The Cars Involved in the Most U.S. Crashes in 2016-2020

1. Chevrolet Silverado

Total Crashes: 4,335

The Chevrolet Silverado has been involved in 4,335 car accidents between 2016-2020. Rather concerningly, it appeared as the deadliest car for 27 states, accounting for more crashes than any other vehicle. 

The chevy truck is a popular choice among drivers for cross-country driving. The Silverado is the successor to the long-running Chevrolet C/K model line. One of the major problems reported by chevy owners is very early engine failure. 

One study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed that drivers and passengers of pickup trucks are 2.5 times more likely to suffer fatal injuries in a traffic accident.

2. Ford F-150

Total Crashes: 1,965

The Ford F-150 accounted for 1,965 crashes between 2016-2020, marking it the second deadliest vehicle to be involved in crashes in the United States.

Another vehicle in the truck family, the Ford F-150 was the most involved in crashes for 6 U.S. states. The F-150 is the most popular version of the model line. The model excels when it comes to safety ratings, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, but it was determined that its headlights didn’t provide adequate light. 

Its popularity, and driver visibility, could be significant to why the Ford F-150 is the second deadliest vehicle to drive in the U.S.

Honda Civic

Total Crashes: 965

In third place for America’s Deadliest Car, is the Honda Civic. The Honda model was the most likely to crash in both Vermont (16 crashes) and California (949 crashes) between 2016 and 2020.

The classic model has been manufactured by Honda since 1972. The Civic has an excellent reputation for reliability, but there are a few issues for drivers to be aware of, with one being transmission issues.

There are many transmission failure symptoms to look out for, such as your vehicle refusing to switch gears, slipping gears, and a dragging clutch. These issues could cause serious issues when driving, which could be one of the main reasons why the Honda Civic is more likely to be involved in crashes, as well as being an extremely popular car in the U.S.

All U.S. States’ Deadliest Cars

We found the deadliest cars in each state, by looking at the number of crashes between 2016 and 2020. There is a recurring pattern, as quite a few of the states have the same car in the top spot. It is worth noting that those states with a higher number of crashes tend to be much larger states, than those with fewer crashes.

The Deadliest Cars in the U.S. Overall

These cars accounted for the most crashes in the U.S. overall between 2016 to 2022. Most of these makes and models were the most deadly for many of our states.

Methodology:

We started by using NHTSA’s Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST) to look at car crash data in the U.S. between 2016-2020. By using the ‘Build Your Report’ section, we were able to add the crash date year and U.S. state, to find the crashes in each U.S. state. 

We counted up the number of crashes in each state caused by each car, and we were then able to find the most ‘deadly’ car by looking at those makes and models that had been involved in the most crashes.

Those cars that were the most involved in crashes for each state were ranked to find the top 5 most deadly cars. This data is accurate as of 21/07/2022.