GM Cars More Deadly Than Skydiving?



The award for "the car most likely to get killed in if you're the driver and you have a dangerous accident" goes to the Chevrolet Blazer for model years 2002 to 2005. Maybe that has something to do with GM's decision to stop building them?

Driver death rates in a GM were higher than any other brand during 2002 thru 2005. But for some GM vehicles, they were also lower than any other brand. Just goes to show you, GM can build the best, and they can also build the worst.

So what's the difference between a Chevy Blazer and a Chevy Astro? Well, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's findings, it looks like your chance of getting killed in a Blazer are 33 times higher than if you were in the same accident but riding in an Astro. Makes you want to run out and trade in that old Blazer, huh?

Not to be outdone by domestic US manufacturers, the two-door Acura RSX had the second-highest "kill the driver" death rate followed by the Nissan 350Z.

Meanwhile, down the street in Detroit, Ford wisely is trying to come up with a better (safety) idea and looks to be succeeding with its Edge and MKX line, which are both being applauded by safety experts at the Insurance Institute.

Not surprisingly, big vehicles fared better in the deadly accident study, with SUV and truck (and large car) drivers having a better chance of surviving than most compact and smaller cars. The study also says that average accident death rates declined since the last study. "This is a big improvement over time. The rates have gone down about 30 percent since the mid-1990s,'' said Anne McCartt, the institute's senior vice president for research.

The study covered 202 passenger vehicle models and included rates of driver deaths in all crashes plus the rates in multiple-vehicle, single-vehicle, and single-vehicle rollover crashes. You can find out more about rollover ratings, and check your car's rollover crash rating, by clicking here.

Are GM cars more deadly than skydiving? Well, one writer in Fort Lauderdale says that "You'd have to go skydiving 17 times in 1 year in order for your odds of death to be equivalent to your chances of dying in a car accident every year." Of course, he's not saying if he drives a Chevy...

If you've got a dangerous lemon, don't put up with it, and don't go it alone. Check out our list of US Lemon Lawyers and get professional help near you.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Known nationwide as a leading Lemon Law attorney, Ronald L. Burdge has represented literally thousands of consumers in "lemon" lawsuits and actively co-counsels and coaches other Consumer Law attorneys. From 2005 through 2018, attorney Ronald L. Burdge has been named as the only Lemon Law Ohio Super Lawyer by Law and Politics magazine and Thomson Reuters Corp., Professional Division. Burdge restricts his practice to Lemon Law and Consumer Law cases. The Ohio Super Lawyer results are published annually in the January issue of Cincinnati Magazine. Ronald L. Burdge was named Consumer Law Trial Lawyer of the Year 2004 by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the nation's largest organization of consumer law private and government attorneys. "Your impact on the auto industry has been magnified many times over because of the trail you blazed for others," stated NACA's Executive Director, Will Ogburn. Burdge has represented thousands of consumers in Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere since 1978 and is a frequent lecturer to national, state and local Bar Associations and Judicial organizations. Burdge is admitted to Ohio's state and federal courts, Kentucky's state courts, and Indiana's federal courts. Other court admissions are on a "pro hac" temporary, case by cases basis.