Automotive Safety: The “Top 10” Safest Cars

Whether you’re driving or riding in a car, it is important to think about safety:  always drive carefully and wear your seatbelt. However, you can also improve your chances of surviving an accident before you ever get on the road. Although automotive industry safety standards for all vehicles have improved immensely in recent years, some makes and models are still significantly safer than others. Formulated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the following list of the Top Ten Safest Cars[1]was compiled based solely on driver and passenger death rates:

  1. Audi A6
  2. Mercedes Benz E-Class
  3. Toyota Sienna
  4. Ford Edge
  5. Nissan Armada
  6. Land Rover Range Rover Sport
  7. Land Rover LR3
  8. Honda CR-V
  9. Jeep Grand Cherokee
  10. Acura MDX

These cars come from many different manufacturers in a number of different countries, but they all have a few things in common. First, they are up to date with the latest safety standards and innovations, most notably Electronic Stability Control (ESC). ESC helps prevent the car from rolling over in an accident, thus greatly reducing the danger of death or serious injury. Second, all of these cars are large vehicles; in fact, the majority are sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Larger vehicles are generally safer because they are heavier and therefore more difficult to push off the road or flip over. In the past, the safety benefits of certain SUVs were somewhat negated by increased rollover risk, but with ESC set to become a mandated industry standard in 2012, that drawback has been largely eliminated.

When you’re shopping for your next car, remember this list and consider using it to help you select a safe vehicle for you and your loved ones.

About Scott D. Fitzgerald: Scott Fitzgerald is the great grandson of the Allen & Allen’s founder, George E. Allen, Sr., and is the fourth generation of the Allen family to join the Allen Law Firm. He is a Richmond personal injury lawyer focusing his practice on car accident casestruck accident cases and motor cycle accident cases in Richmond, VA area.  Scott is dedicated to protecting the best interests of his clients and defending their rights against insurance companies.


[1] See the list of the Top 10 Safest Cars as complied by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, at http://www.iihs.org/externaldata/srdata/docs/sr4605.pdf.