You can attribute it to bad luck, poor performance, or simple carelessness on the part of drivers. Whichever way you characterize it there is no getting around the numbers. Statistically, there are some cars that are more accident-prone than others. According to personal injury claims taken over a period of two years, there are cars that just seem to present a greater risk for being involved in accidents. Among the factors thought to be responsible are the frequency of driving, the number of drivers operating the vehicle, and the tendency of owners to live in urban areas where there are high levels of traffic.

The Yaris

The smallest of the cars manufactured by Toyota, the Yaris tops the list in accident reports. For every 1,000 insured vehicles on the road, 28.5 of the claims belong to owners of this compact car. This number is twice the average figure reported for other cars in the same class of vehicles. The 2009 and 2011 models do receive good reports when it comes to agility on the road, however. It is possible that the manufacturers have been working to improve some of the traits of the car that make it more prone to accidents. It is certainly worth looking into recent reports if you are interested in purchasing the car, and seeing what factors leading to its bad reputation can be negated by vigilance and safe habits on your own part.

The SX4

Suzuki finishes neck in neck with the Yaris. When the accident reports for this vehicle are analyzed, the number of personal injury claims is exceedingly high. The extremely compact design of the vehicle makes it dramatically more likely that passengers will experience injury during a crash. It does feature adequate safety features, but drivers simply cannot safely withstand an impact with larger vehicles on the road. It is an important distinction; while safety features can certainly be helpful, when purchasing a car, the design and its ability to withstand an accident are an important consideration. Particularly if you have children, it is an excellent idea to avoid cars that are going to be a liability in the actual event of accident, even if those cars have a plenitude of features for avoiding them.

The Aveo

The Aveo and its counterpart, the Aveo Wagon, both rank high on the list of accident reports as well. Despite its propensity for collisions, the safety-test ratings of this car are fair. There are fewer injuries reported with every accident claim that is filed. Both side-impact ratings and frontal crash-test results earned the Aveo a rating of “acceptable.” The problem with these evaluations is the fact that they are typically being derived from collisions with another vehicle of a similar size, leaving drivers at a serious disadvantage when it comes to real-world situations. Several studies have demonstrated that larger, sometimes heavier cars do more damage (understandably) to smaller cars due to the fact that their greater mass increases the force with which they strike in collisions.

The Galant

Mitsubishi has recently been climbing the automotive ladder in terms of performance and safety. However, they seemed to have missed a rung when they released the Galant. This car is renowned for its affordability. Unfortunately, it seems that the lower sticker price has come at the expensive of safety.

Many of these cars do not seem to possess any specific problems that are common to all of the models considered. However, these numbers are real trends based on facts that the companies should not ignore. It is entirely possible that other factors are in play, such as the behavior of the types of drivers who tend to purchase these cars; however, anything that can be done to avoid an additional risk is certainly a good idea when shopping for a new car. Drivers who are involved in accidents also should not be ignoring these facts. The full extent of the risk to drivers can properly be assessed by an auto accident attorney. Additionally, the accident reports and claims of personal injury were not always quickly resolved by insurance companies in the majority of cases analyzed. In order to avoid having this situation occur in your life, put an auto accident attorney on your side in order to tip the scales back into balance. An attorney will be able to help you if an accident should occur—they have the expertise to assist in getting you the best possible compensation.