Bigger Cars, Safer to Insure – Study

Against the rise in motor vehicle insurance policies, a new study has shown that it is safer to insure bigger cars than small, sporty cars.
According to findings released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, any insurer who wants to cut down on auto insurance premiums should stay away from small, fast cars, an indication that the choice of vehicles one buy can affect their auto premiums.
The research which was done in collaboration with the Highway Loss Data Institute analyzed those actual insurance losses that are related to most popular vehicle makes and models.
The report said “contrary to the idea that smaller cars can help you avoid crashes, the data shows that small cars get into more accidents”.  It further stated that “sporty cars tend to be driven in ways that lead to more crashes.  The report added that this risk becomes more so because small cars are more easily affordable and therefore are mostly appealing and usually driven by the younger drivers which are classified under the “riskier drivers” category.
Some of these cars noted for highest rates of collision, the report says are “the Subaru impreza WRX,  Mitsubishi Lancer, Acura RSX, Nissan Sentra SER – these vehicles have the highest rates of collision”, adding that the reason for this rate is based on how these cars are driven.
It listed 10 vehicles which bring about the highest dollar amount of losses for insurance companies.  These are the Cadillac Escalade EXT 4WD, Subaru Impreza WRX 4WD, Hyundai Tiburan, Mitsubishi Lancer, Scion +c, Acura RSX, Nisaan Sentra SE-X, Suzuki Forenza, Nissan Sentra/Misubishi, Eclipse and Chevrolet Cobalt two-door.
Commenting on the study, Ovadje Robinson, veteran journalist and founder of a non-governmental organization (NGO) said “there was nothing new about the findings’ adding that the ‘Nigerian insurance companies have often advised those who care to know, on the dangers inherent in insuring big and expensive cars as against fast and small cars”  For instance, he said  it is riskier to insure some of the attractive, eye-catching cars which are status symbols in Nigeria, than insuring big cars such as are popular in America, like Ford Five Hundred 4WD (now the Ford Taurus) Buick Rendez vous 4WD, Buick Lucerne/Buick Rainer 4WD/Honda Oddys, which may be unattractive to car snatchers and which do not have the kind of neck-breaking speed as the Japanese cars.