Is Your Used Car One of the “Most Dangerous Cars in America”?

Choosing the right used car can be a guessing game. Improper maintenance, hard use, and multiple owners can turn even the best model car into a lemon that could leave you stranded, or worse. But some makes and models are worse than others. Find out whether your used car is one of the “most dangerous cars in America.”

Everyone knows that a new car is your best bet when it comes to safety. Product warranties and ongoing maintenance programs make sure a new car stays safe. In addition, most manufacturers have taken steps to increase passenger safety. Together with improved roads, this has caused auto accident deaths to drop from 117 per million in 2004 to just 44 per million in 2014.

But not everyone can afford to buy new. If your finances are sending you into the used car market, you need to know the car you choose is going to be safe.

That’s why the online news source 24/7 Wall St. has reviewed crash test results from used cars produced since the early 2000s to find the country’s most dangerous vehicles. It compared several safety tests including:

• frontal collision
  
• broadside collision
  
• roof strength
  
• head restraint, and
  
• seat safety.
  

The crashworthiness evaluations were compiled from the records of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit research organization funded by auto insurers. So if your car makes the list you may be looking at higher insurance premiums on top of the risk of injury in a crash.
According to the IIHS and 24/7 Wall St., these are the top 12 most dangerous cars in America:

1. 2000-2005 Dodge Neon
   
2. 1996-2005 GMC Safari (also marketed as the Chevrolet Astro)
   
3. 2001-2006 GMC Sierra 1500
   
4. 2006-2011 Hyundai Accent
   
5. 2001-2005 Kia Optima
   
6. 2006-2009 Kia Rio
   
7. 2000-2006 Mazda MVP
   
8. 2000-2006 Nissan Sentra
   
9. 1999-2005 Grand Am
   
10. 2002-2005 Saturn L-Series
    
11. 2005-5009 Suzuki Forenza
    
12. 2003-2005 Suzuki Grand Vitara
    

Five of these vehicle models have been discontinued. Many others have had substantial safety makeovers. In fact, some of these same models are among the industry’s safest cars today.

That’s why it is so important that when you consider buying a used car that you get specific when researching vehicle safety. Particular model years may have design defects or safety flaws that won’t show up in crash tests for newer models.

Unless you do the research, you could be putting yourself at risk for serious injuries. Cars on this list are prone to causing pelvic fractures, crushing passengers’ legs, and even causing brain injury. Don’t just cross your fingers and hope it doesn’t happen to you. Before you buy a used car, make sure you know the risks.

Dani K. Liblang is a personal injury attorney at The Liblang Law Firm, PC, in Birmingham, Michigan. If you have been seriously injured in a car crash, contact The Liblang Law Firm, PC, for a free consultation.