What? When I went to your link, this is what it said:
Size & Weight Matters – All cars must meet US Department Of Transportation standards for crash-worthiness. Larger and heavier cars, however, are usually safer in a collision than smaller ones. In relation to their numbers on the road, small cars account for more than twice as many deaths as large cars. If a heavier vehicle collides head-on with a lighter one, the lighter vehicle and its occupants will suffer substantially more damage.
Anyway, to maybe put away this unending series of random statistics, you are far more safer in driving a larger car period, according to IIHS data, with SUVs being anywhere from 2 to 5 times more safe than small cars.
Specifically, here is a partial source from Edmunds.com for deaths based on car type. Edmunds.com and the Insurance Institue for Highway Safety, I would assume, are obviously tools of the conservative right and those who love “destroying the environment” by driving an SUV. : )
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Edmunds.com article on higher fatality rates with smaller cars based on 2005 Insurance Institute Data
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Consumers shopping for a fuel-efficient vehicle will probably gravitate toward smaller cars. But by doing so will they put themselves at risk in the event of an accident?
The cold hard facts show that smaller, lighter cars are generally less safe than larger heavier cars. However, there is still a lot you can do to choose the safest small cars. But first, let’s start with a little background.
. . .
Furthermore, the numbers don’t bode well for small cars.
In the latest crash figures available from 2005, provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (see chart below), there were 144 fatalities per million registered vehicles for the smallest cars. That figure drops to 106 fatalities for the next larger class of cars. For large sedans, that number drops to 67 per million. For small SUVs, the figure was 60 deaths per million as compared with 48 for large SUVs. For pickups, totals increased to 122 per million for small trucks and 104 per million for large.
Clearly, larger cars tend to have fewer fatalities. But remember to put these figures into perspective. These figures are comparing the differences per million registered vehicles. . .
Meanwhile, large sedans, which are both heavier and better equipped, show the lowest totals. Still, how you drive is obviously an important factor in the process.
Driver deaths per million registered passenger vehicles 1-3 years old, 2005
Vehicle Size Rate
Car — Mini 144
Car — Small 106
Car — Midsize 70
Car — Large 67
Car — Very Large 44
Pickup — Small 122
Pickup — Large 104
Pickup — Very Large 101
SUV — Small 60
SUV — Midsize 57
SUV — Large 48
SUV — Very Large 24
