I wonder about stuff like this. In this case they didn’t take in to consideration that older cars tend to be driven by less responsible or lower income people, who may be more likely to drink and drive, have to work night shift where roads are more dangerous, and may be less likely to use a seat belt. It also doesn’t take in to account that there was an SUV craze going on, and later model vehicles may have had fewer fatalities not so much due to improved safety, but just from being heavier.
The big thing that I noticed is in the last graph with the 0-3 year old cars, is the model years older than 2008 are not filled in. Was crash data from before 2008 not recorded?
It may be helpful to be aware that in this study they differentiated between model years and age of vehicle at the time of the crash. So a 2 year old vehicle that crashed in 2010 would be a 2008 model year, but in the 0-3 year old vehicle category.
All I can say is use your own best judgement. I’m to the point where anything coming out of dc is suspect and should be questioned. They did it to themselves.
In todays rock auto newsletter the talked about the battery temperature sensor failure symptoms. Other than mechanics, who knew such tings were on our cars. The purpose is to reduce the alternator load when the battery is warm to save gas. This is on the extreme end of stupidity imho brought to you by the folks we pay for.
Didn’t you read the report? “Fatal crash data from FARS for the most recent calendar
years 2012 to 2016 was used for this analysis” That explains your ‘big thing’.
Sorry a simple analysis of the data doesn’t support your preconceptions. Maybe it’s time to examine them…
I don’t think so. If a person is poor they are not driving to a bar. Country clubs and golf course probably rate high in people driving over the limit, but like your premis I have not posted any facts, just opinion.
The RAM 2500 has the highest DUI rate compared to any other car in the United States. In fact, 1 in every 22 RAM 2500 drivers has at least one DUI on their record, compared to the national average of 1 in every 56.
That’s a weird statistic. Especially since there are far more Ford and GM 3/4 tons on the road than Ram 3/4 tons. Not denying it as fact, just find it odd and wonder what it means.
Offhand, you’d think the car with the highest sales figures would have the highest DUI rate just for the mere fact that there should be more out there.
I agree with this thought. Buyers are human and not exactly random when it comes to their choice of vehicle.
We can joke about the stereotypical Prius, Corvette or Tesla owner because there are some validity to the characteristics of the buyer. Certain cultural “tribes” buy certain models because their peers do.
An example of this is the Corvette having had the highest single passenger fatality rate for years. The theory is that the owner wants to “see what she’ll DO” and loses control. No way to ask the driver after the fact to prove that.
Up is down. Black is white. Old cars are safer than new cars. Technology is bad. Blah, blah, blah…
I’ll take my 2018 Mazda6 over any car I have ever owned. It’s reliable, comfortable, and all of the technology (with some adjustments by me) works in perfect harmony with my driving to make my in car experience better than it has ever been.
Yes, my 1984 Tercel was easier to work on, but it had 1/6th the horsepower and gave me a back ache on long rides (plus no A/C).
Maybe most of the RAM 2500 drivers lost their licenses or stopped driving drunk. Since the BMW 7 series shows up on both surveys, those drivers have better lawyers.
When I see statistics like this, where the numbers for one year are wildly different from the next, I question the accuracy of the numbers. It suggests that the data sample is too small, or there is dishonest reporting going on, or that a small number of incidents from an isolated situation are somehow occurring that are messing up the numbers.
