(iSeeCars) - Automotive safety has improved dramatically over the past two decades. But according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the last five years have seen a higher rate of accidents and fatalities on America’s roads than the previous 12 years. The fatal accident rate is now 2.8 per billion miles and the Hyundai Venue is the car with the highest fatal accident rate, while Tesla has the highest fatal accident rate of all car brands, according to the latest study by iSeeCars. iSeeCars.com analyzed fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) of model year 2018-2022 cars with car crashes that resulted in at least one occupant fatality to identify the most dangerous vehicles on U.S. roads today. “New cars are safer than they’ve ever been,” said Karl Brauer, iSeeCars Executive Analyst. “Between advanced chassis design, driver assist technology, and an array of airbags surrounding the driver, today’s car models provide excellent occupant protection. But these safety features are being countered by distracted driving and higher rates of speed, leading to rising accident and death rates in recent years.” The 23 Most Dangerous Cars iSeeCars identified models with a fatal accident rate at least two times higher than the average car, with the five deadliest vehicles over four times the average. The Hyundai Venue, Chevy Corvette, and Mitsubishi Mirage are the three deadliest cars on American roads, based on fatal accidents per mile traveled. The Porsche 911, Honda CR-V Hybrid, Tesla Model Y, Mitsubishi Mirage G4, Buick Encore, Kia Forte, and Buick Envision round out the top 10 deadliest vehicles, with fatal accident rates between 2.8 and 4.9 times the average. Small cars and performance cars rank prominently on this list, along with higher-profile SUVs that may have an increased chance of a rollover accident compared to lower-profile vehicles. Note that some large cars, including the Ford Bronco and Dodge Charger, have fatal accident rates over twice the overall average (and more than 1.5 times the small car average) which reflects very poorly on these models given their size. Cars With the Most Frequent Occupant Fatalities - iSeeCars StudyRankModelFatal Accident Rate (Cars per Billion Vehicle Miles)Compared to Overall Average1Hyundai Venue13.94.9x2Chevrolet Corvette13.64.8x3Mitsubishi Mirage13.64.8x4Porsche 91113.24.6x5Honda CR-V Hybrid13.24.6x6Tesla Model Y10.63.7x7Mitsubishi Mirage G410.13.6x8Buick Encore GX9.83.4x9Kia Forte8.12.9x10Buick Envision8.02.8x11Kia Soul7.32.6x12Toyota Corolla Hybrid7.32.6x13Chevrolet Camaro7.32.6x14Nissan Versa7.22.5x15Kia K57.12.5x16Kia Seltos6.82.4x17Ford Bronco6.62.3x18Ford Bronco Sport6.22.2x19Dodge Charger6.12.1x20Toyota Prius5.92.1x21Tesla Model S5.82.0x22INFINITI Q505.82.0x23Toyota Venza5.62.0xOverall Average2.8– “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,” said Brauer. “The models on this list likely reflect a combination of driver behavior and driving conditions, leading to increased crashes and fatalities.” Small Cars Are the Most Dangerous Cars When broken out by size, small cars have the highest fatal accident rate while midsize and full-size cars are both below average. While modern small cars benefit from the latest engineering and safety tech, they still have a size and weight disadvantage in accidents with a larger vehicle. Fatal Accident Rates By Vehicle Size - iSeeCars StudySizeFatal Accident Rate (Cars per Billion Vehicle Miles)Small (subcompact and compact)3.6Overall Average2.8Midsize2.5Large (full-size)2.0 “It’s difficult to overcome physics, even with high-strength steel and airbags,” said Brauer. “When two small cars collide the forces are equalized and both vehicles tend to hold up well. But if a compact hatchback and a full-size pickup truck try to occupy the same space at the same time, the smaller car always loses.” The Most Dangerous SUVs Between their larger size and higher seating position, SUVs have a natural advantage in safety. However, their higher center of gravity also means a rollover accident is more likely, and when a vehicle rolls over it substantially increases the risk of a fatality. Most of these SUVs are small, as expected, but the Ford Bronco and Mercedes-Benz G-Class are two larger SUVs with over twice the fatal accident rate of the average SUV (2.2), and well above the rate for small vehicles (3.6). SUVs With the Most Frequent Occupant Fatalities - iSeeCars StudyRankModelFatal Accident Rate (Cars per Billion Vehicle Miles)Compared to SUV Average1Hyundai Venue13.96.3x2Honda CR-V Hybrid13.25.9x3Tesla Model Y10.64.8x4Buick Encore GX9.84.4x5Buick Envision8.03.6x6Kia Seltos6.83.1x7Ford Bronco6.63x8Ford Bronco Sport6.22.8x9Toyota Venza5.62.5x10Hyundai Kona5.12.3x11Nissan Kicks5.12.3x12Chevrolet Trailblazer4.72.1x13Mercedes-Benz G-Class4.32xSUV Average2.2-- “The popularity of SUVs has them dominating today’s roadways,” said Brauer. “That’s fine if you’re in an SUV, but if you’re in a smaller or lower vehicle you’re likely at a disadvantage if you tangle with one. However, as this list confirms, plenty of SUVs have a higher-than-average fatal accident rate, so don’t think of them as a guaranteed fix for vehicle safety.” The Most Dangerous Trucks Like SUVs, trucks have a natural size, weight, and passenger height advantage when it comes to passenger safety. When ranked by fatal accident rate, it’s not surprising to see full-size trucks generally outperforming midsize models.  Trucks With the Most Frequent Occupant Fatalities - iSeeCars StudyRankModelFatal Accident Rate (Cars per Billion Vehicle Miles)Compared to Truck Average1Nissan Frontier5.02.2x2Ford Ranger4.01.7x3Chevrolet Colorado2.91.3x4Toyota Tacoma2.81.2x5Jeep Gladiator2.71.2xTruck Average2.3-- “Most midsize trucks perform worse than the segment average, while most full-size trucks perform better,” said Brauer. “This suggests that, even in the truck category, the ‘larger vehicle wins’ trend seems to hold true.” The Most Dangerous Car Brands Tesla has the highest fatal accident rate of all car brands, followed by Kia, Buick, Dodge and Hyundai. As with the model rankings, it’s possible these high fatal accident rates reflect driver behavior as much or more than vehicle design. Automakers With the Most Frequent Occupant Fatalities - iSeeCars StudyRankMakeFatal Accident Rate (Cars per Billion Vehicle Miles)1Tesla5.62Kia5.53Buick4.84Dodge4.45Hyundai3.9Overall Average2.8 “A vehicle’s size, weight, and height certainly play a part in its ability to protect passengers in a crash,” said Brauer. “But the biggest contributor to occupant safety is avoiding a crash, and the biggest factor in crash avoidance is driver behavior. 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.” More from iSeeCars: Cars That Hold Their Value Best Safest Car Rankings for 2024 Most Reliable Cars Methodology iSeeCars analyzed fatality data from the U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Only cars from model years 2018-2022 in crashes that resulted in occupant fatalities between 2017 and 2022 (the latest year data was available) were included in the analysis. To adjust for exposure, the number of cars involved in a fatal crash were normalized by the total number of vehicle miles driven, which was estimated from iSeeCars’ data of over 8 million vehicles on the road in 2022 from model years 2018-2022. Heavy-duty trucks and vans, models not in production as of the 2024 model year, and low-volume models were removed from further analysis. About iSeeCars.com iSeeCars.com is a data-driven car search and research company that helps shoppers find the best car deals by providing key insights and valuable resources, including the iSeeCars VIN Check report and Best Cars Rankings. iSeeCars has saved users over $424 million so far by applying big data analytics powered by over 25 billion (and growing) data points and using proprietary algorithms to objectively analyze, score and rank millions of new cars and used cars. This article, The 23 Most Dangerous Cars on the Road, originally appeared on iSeeCars.com.