A comprehensive study released by an equity investor information website identified the most dangerous vehicles on the road and those most likely to be involved in a car accident. The research company, 24/7, provides analysis to global investors. The study was conducted to identify problematic American vehicles.
The following vehicles are rated the worst according to safety standards and car crash statistics:
1. Dodge Ram
2. Chevrolet Colorado Super Cab
3. Mazda CX-7
4. Mazda CX-9
5. Nissan Pathfinder
6. Jeep Wrangler
7. Suzuki SX4
The study combined research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Consumer Reports, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and JD Powers quality reports. The seven vehicles were given a “poor” or “marginal” rating in two to four categories marked side-impact, rollover, rear-impact protection and frontal-offset ratings. The safety criteria was set to determine which vehicles on the roads nationwide, including in Ohio, posed the greatest risk of car crashes.
The Dodge Ram scored the worst due to the marginal rating given by the IIHS for the side-impact and rollover-crash categories. Also, the Dodge Ram scored poorly on the JD Powers initial quality test, and the NHTSA rated it poorly on front-impact tests.
Six of the seven vehicle models showed increased overall sales in 2011; however, all but the Jeep Wrangler remain below 2007 sales levels. The Jeep Wrangler held its ground in sales and is the only model that did not score poorly on the IIHS test for rollover crashes.
Source: Torque News, “Dodge Ram named most dangerous vehicle in America,” Anthony Faccenda, May 30, 2012