The car you drive, for most people, is a very personal and important part of our identity.

Chances are you chose your car, researching the reliability factor, checking on safety standards and of course selecting the color, make and style you wanted.

I grew up a Ford guy and have always loved Mustangs and F-100 trucks and the sleek Thunderbirds.

But that's me, and I have very good friends who hate Fords and swear by Chevys, Dodges or various foreign brands (my brother just loves the Subarus he's owned over the years).

So it's a risky proposition to call out any car brand based on safety issues.

But sometimes the facts jump out at you.

While technology and design advancements have led to safety improvements in all brands of vehicles in recent years, one brand has lagged behind when it comes to the safety of its occupants.

A study conducted by Glass Doctor to determine the most and least safe vehicle brands in each state found that Dodge consistently performed the worst, according to researchers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data on fatal crashes over the course of the last 10 years.

Dodge had 4.03 deaths per 1,000 car crashes in that 2011-2020 decade, far outreaching any other car brand. The other biggies in the United states, Ford (2.12) and Chevrolet (2.39), were much safer.

Dodge was also the worst in Utah, with 31 other states also having Dodge vehicles be the biggest killer.

Mitsubishi and Buick were rated the second- and third-deadliest cars in the Beehive State. Not coincidentally, those three -- Dodge, Mitsubishi and Buick -- were the bottom three brands nationally as well.

OK, so what about the safest vehicles?

According to the data:

Audi is the top safest car brand, with only 0.54 fatal crashes per 1,000 drivers over the decade. This title is well-earned, as Audi has made significant investments in safety technology research and development, including developing new safety systems that use sensors and cameras to detect and prevent accidents.

Subaru and Mercedes-Benz also ranked highly, with 0.55 and 0.75 fatal crashes per 1,000 drivers.

Obviously, there are so many other factors that must be accounted for (maybe Dodge owners drive faster?), but if you were in a crash, would you rather be in a Dodge (where more than four people die per every 1,000 crashes) or an Audi (0.54)?

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