Which 2009 vehicles are the most dangerous?

A list of 2009’s most dangerous vehicles has been compiled Forbes magazine.

Forbes researchers used crash results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and rollover ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The institute uses a scale of "good," "acceptable," "marginal," and "poor," while the administration awards up to five stars for rollover safety

Test dummies are checked for trauma in 28 regions for front crashes and 37 regions for side crashes after each institute crash. Each region is awarded a rating based on specific parameters for trauma.

A "good" rating means little to no trauma occurred to drivers and/or passengers during the crash, while a "poor" rating means severe and possibly fatal trauma happened.
 
Forbes assigned point values for each administration and institute rating, with more points awarded for better results, according to the article. The 16 cars on its list of the most dangerous vehicles scored the lowest number of total points. They are:

• Chevrolet Aveo

• Chevrolet Colorado

• Chevrolet Trailblazer

• Chrysler PT Cruiser

• Dodge Nitro

• Ford Ranger

• GMC Canyon

• GMC Envoy

• Hummer H3

• Hyundai Accent

• Jeep Liberty

• Jeep Wrangler

• Kia Rio

• Mazda B Series

• Nissan Frontier

• Suzuki Equator

Among the lowest-scoring were the Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV, the Kia Rio small sedan, and the Ford Ranger pickup, the Forbes article reports.

See the article for details on each vehicle, automakers responses to the Forbes article, and how to use the list when buying a vehicle.

My next post will be on “What Are the Most Dangerous Times to Drive?”