Cars that are the most likely to kill other drivers in crashes

If you’ve ever looked out your rear-view mirror and seen the grille of a Ram HD truck breathing down your neck, you might be in the presence of royalty. The Ram 3500 was recently named the vehicle with the highest rate of other-driver deaths in a crash, according to research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The IIHS conducts its driver death rate study every three years, and this year’s research is the first to include specific models, based on model years 2018 through 2021. Other data includes the cars with the most occupant deaths and vehicles least likely to kill occupants or others on the road.

Vehicles with the largest number of other-driver deaths, or those that killed others most often in a crash includes:

Ram 3500 Crew Cab Long Bed 4WD: 189 deaths
Dodge Charger Hemi 2WD: 164
Ford F-350 Crew Cab 4WD: 147
Ram 2500 Mega Cab 4WD: 145
Kia Optima: 134
Kia Rio Sedan: 133
Ram 2500 Crew Cab: 122
F-250 Crew Cab: 120
Dodge Charger: 105
Ram 1500 Crew Cab: 104

Unsurprisingly, large trucks are more likely to kill someone else in a crash. At the same time, they are not on the list of vehicles that protect their passengers in a collision. That list includes the BMW X3 and Lexus ES 350. While they may not be the best at protecting their own occupants, they’re also not on the list of the worst, which is topped by both versions of the Mitsubishi Mirage.

The IIHS points out that newer models get more safety features and are safer overall. It noted that some of the disconnect between models on the “bad” and “good” lists could come from issues caused when newer models have collisions with older, less safe vehicles. The organization also points to an increase in speeding and reckless driving during the pandemic, though we’re pretty far outside of that time at this point.

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