Tesla has been named the "deadliest" car brand after an analysis of vehicle fatality rates determined the brand had the highest number of fatal crashes per mile.
The automotive search engine iSeeCars.com released an analysis of the most dangerous cars on the road, which was determined using the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, and then enlisted data from the iSeeCars website in order to account for miles traveled.
Tesla's fatality rate stands at about 5.6 fatal accidents per billion miles traveled, according to the study. The brand is closely followed by Kia, a car brand with 5.5 fatal accidents per billion miles. In turn, Kia is followed by Buick with 4.8 per billion, Dodge with 4.4 per billion and Hyundai with 3.9 per billion, the study stated.
Researchers at iSeeCars do not attribute the fatality rates to the vehicles sold by each brand in and of themselves, but more to consumer behavior and how customers of each brand operate on the road.
"A focused, alert driver, traveling at a legal or prudent speed, without being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, is the most likely to arrive safely regardless of the vehicle they're driving," iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer said in a statement.
"Most of these vehicles received excellent safety ratings, performing well in crash tests at the IIHS and NHTSA, so it's not a vehicle design issue," Brauer continued. "The models on this list likely reflect a combination of driver behavior and driving conditions, leading to increased crashes and fatalities."
The report also noted that small SUVs and subcompact cars were involved in more fatal crashes than other vehicle types. However, widely used vehicles, such as the Toyota Corolla Hybrid and the Honda CR-V Hybrid, also had fatality rates above the national average.
"A vehicle's size, weight, and height certainly play a part in its ability to protect passengers in a crash," Brauer said in the report. "But the biggest contributor to occupant safety is avoiding a crash, and the biggest factor in crash avoidance is driver behavior."
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