Tests examine driver death rates
WASHINGTON -- General Motors Corp. vehicles had the highest and lowest driver death rates from 2002 through 2005, according to a study being released today by the insurance industry.
Two-door, two-wheel drive Chevrolet Blazers built from 2001 to 2004 had the highest rate of 232 driver deaths per million registered vehicles during the four-year span, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found.
By contrast, the Chevrolet Astro minivan had the lowest rate with only seven deaths per million registered vehicles. It was followed by the Infiniti G35, BMW 7 Series, and the Toyota 4Runner.
The two-door Acura RSX had the second-highest rate with 202 driver deaths followed by the Nissan 350Z, which registered 193 deaths.
Automakers said the study was limited in its scope because it did not include factors that could play a major role in the fatalities.
"The study doesn't really take into account driver behavior or how the vehicles are used so it's difficult to really draw much significance," said GM spokesman Alan Adler.
The Astro and Blazer went out of production in 2005. GM currently sells the Chevy TrailBlazer midsize SUV.
The institute found that the average death rate for all vehicles has declined from 110 from 1990 to 1994 to the current rate of 79 for the 2002-2005 period.
"This is a big improvement over time. The rates have gone down about 30 percent since the mid-1990s," said Anne McCartt, the institute's senior vice president for research.
The study also reaffirmed past research, which found that heavier vehicles in categories such as cars, SUVs, and pickups generally had lower death rates. 