09/25/2026

Driver Death Rates Remain High for Small Cars, Models with Powerful Engines

Source: Fleet Management Weekly

More than half of the model 2023 vehicles with the highest driver death rates are small cars, sports cars or muscle cars, a new report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows. 

Across all makes and models, the average driver death rate was 37 drivers per million registration years. The average other-driver death rate was 53. The other-driver death rate was most likely higher than the driver death rate because many of the crash partner vehicles were of older vintage and offered occupants less protection.

Driver death rates are a useful companion to the Institute’s safety ratings, as they capture different aspects of risk.

via Insurance Institute for Highway Safety