Study finds nine car models that could save your life

If you’re looking for safe cars, this is the list for you! There are a few models out there that have ZERO recorded fatalities and yet are still fairly popular vehicles.

Part of the safety comes from having a larger vehicle – it’s simple physics that the larger vehicle will do more damage but be less effected than the other, smaller, car that is involved in a 2 vehicle accident. That’s why larger SUV’s tend to have better safety numbers, at least in terms of serious injuries.

Nine car models are so safe they had a driver death rate of zero in a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The nine mostly 2011 models underscore how chances of dying in a car crash have fallen by a third in three years. Eight years ago, no car brand could make that claim, IIHS spokesman Russ Rader says. He points to improvements in car safety such as electronic stability control as making a huge improvement in preventing cars from crashing.

“We know from our vehicle ratings program that crash-test performance has been getting steadily better,” David Zuby, IIHS’ executive vice president, says in a statement. “These latest death rates provide new confirmation that real-world outcomes are improving, too.”

The nine models are the Audi A4 four-wheel-drive luxury car; Honda Odyssey minivan; Kia Sorento SUV; Lexus RX 350 four-wheel-drive luxury SUV; Mercedes-Benz GL-Class four-wheel drive luxury SUV; Subaru Legacy four-wheel-drive midsize car; Toyota Highlander hybrid four-wheel-drive SUV; Toyota Sequoia four-wheel-drive SUV; and Volvo XC90 four-wheel-drive luxury SUV.

Late-model SUVs have the lowest driver death rates among all cars, according to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. VPC

The latest study shows a wide disparity from the best vehicles to the worst, including three models that had driver death rates greater than 100 per 1 million registered vehicles. The study looks at driver deaths from 2009 to 2012, focusing on vehicles from the 2011 model year but including results as far back as the 2009 model year, depending on when the vehicle was redesigned. Study finds nine car models that could save your life