By: Ryan Barton ’24
Safety while driving is something high on everyone’s priority list and with new drivers, the type of car can have a big impact on overall safety.
Claire Garoutte a senior at Ursuline said, “When picking my first car, safety was important to both my parents and me. We took safety rating very seriously and ended up finding a car that was perfect for me. Research is essential to the process and finding the right car. “
One of the most unsafe cars is the Dodge Challenger 2WD which has a driver death rate of 154 per million registrations. It is a larger vehicle, which should be more protective, but the Challenger lacks that.
However, this vehicle also has a reputation of being a muscle or sport car which could contribute to the problem.
An article written by Modded says, “When you drive these cars, you feel like you’re behind the wheel of a sports car due to their high horsepower. However, some operators don’t employ best driving practices and crash.”
The Dodge Charger is also very unsafe and not high on any reliability rankings. It has been recalled often, specifically between 2005-2010 due to faulty airbags.
It has very high horsepower and overall can be difficult for a new driver to control, not making it an ideal first car.
A common similarity between most unsafe cars is the fact that they are smaller cars, but the Hyundai Accent has a river death rate with 152 deaths per million registrations.
Although Hyundai is usually reliable, the testing and accident results for the Accent have been poor and show the flaws in the car like lack of airbag support which could result in worse injuries.
“If you’re interested in purchasing the car for yourself, you might wonder which Hyundai Accent years to avoid so you can get the most value out of your investment. We recommend staying away from the 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016 models,” says an article by CoPilot.
The Kia Rio is another dangerous car due to issues in the engine, transmission, and fuel consumption. These are very costly issues and also time consuming. It also does not do well in crashes, having a death rate of 122 people per million registrations.
The most dangerous car is the Mitsubishi Mirage, which is popular due to its low price of $17,795. There are multiple problems with this car like cheap construction so the car isn’t made well and the collision system isn’t safe,
It also has only 78 horsepower which is too low to keep you safe, resulting in a driver death rate of 205 per million registrations. It also has a hatchback variant with 183 per million registrations, one of the highest amounts.
“Unfortunately, the Mitsubishi Mirage G4 is considered the most dangerous car when it comes to deaths per million registered vehicles. Automakers typically love breaking records, but this one makes the Mirage worse than most people previously thought,” said an article by Motor Biscuit.
However, there are many safe cars perfect for new drivers like the Mazda CX-30, CX-5, and CX-50. It has advanced brake support, blind spot monitoring, and many other safety features that contribute the car being one of the Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Another good brand for new drivers is Toyota. The Toyota Rav4, Corolla Cross, Highlander, and Venza all are top safety picks in 2023 and range in size. Toyota has cars in most categories like small car, midsize and SUV.
Starting to drive can be scary at first, but having the right car can make the process easier.
THE BEAR FACTS 