A new study has identified Pontiac and Saturn drivers as some of the safest drivers on the road today with the lowest number of on-road incidents. Meanwhile, Ram drivers were shown to have the highest number of on-road incidents.
The new study was published by online lending marketplace LendingTree, which analyzed insurance quote data from QuoteWizard to determine the car brands with the worst and best drivers. The study was based on tens of millions of insurance quotes collected between November 14th, 2022, and November 14th, 2023.
In order to determine the car brands with the worst and best drivers, researchers calculated the number of driving incidents per 1,000 drivers, dividing the data by brand in each U.S. state. Driving incidents included accidents, DUIs, speeding, and citations, with 30 brands included in the study.
According to the study, Pontiac and Saturn drivers had the lowest number of driving incidents per 1,000 drivers nationally, with Pontiac drivers showing 16.24 incidents per 1,000 drivers, and Saturn drivers showing 16.84 incidents per 1,000 drivers. Mercury drivers had the lowest rate at 15.82 per 1,000 drivers. By contrast, Ram had the highest number of incidents per 1,000 drivers nationally at 32.90, more than double the rate for Mercury drivers. Tesla drivers and Subaru drivers followed Ram with rates of 31.13 and 30.09, respectively.
Tesla drivers were shown to have the highest accident rate at 23.54 accidents per 1,000 drivers, while Ram drivers had a rate of 22.76 accidents per 1,000 drivers and Subaru drivers had a rate of 20.90 accidents per 1,000 drivers. Pontiac and Saturn drivers were among the drivers with lowest accident rates at 8.41 per 1,000 drivers and 9.13 per 1,000 drivers, respectively.
Also notable were BMW drivers, which had the highest DUI rate by a consider margin, measured at 3.13 DUIs per 1,000 drivers, nearly twice the rate of DUIs for the next-highest brand drivers, Ram, measured at a rate of 1.72 DUIs per 1,000 drivers.
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Comments
Not surprising Saturn , Pontiac and Mercury are low , they haven’t produced those brands for 15 plus years so there are few on the road and i bet most of the drivers are seniors.
Or enthusiast. I bet this was reversed a decade ago, when they had been discontinued for a couple years and most were passing into the hand of 2nd hand/first car drivers, who by far cause the most incidents.
…bet Packard drivers rank even better.
kirk: That is (was) my exact thoughts as well. But reading the article, it lead me to believe that the numbers were all equal? They say per 1,000 drivers and from millions of data base customers? So then I thought it must be accurate. But then reading your comment and a few others, it seems realistic that those cars being so much older and out of production that the ones left on the road wouldn’t be driven nearly as much. Kind of like my 86 and 88 Caddy’s that sit and almost never get driven.
Just kind of a strange article for sure.
In my area I see a Saturn VUE and Pontiac Solstice.
Wow! Really?!?
Yup I have a red 2007 Solstice with 40k miles in my garage and a blue 2009 G-6 that I purchased new with 99k miles in the driveway. Previously I had an 84 Fiero and an 02 Grand Am GT, both purchased new. I really miss Pontiac Motor Division.
I am with you. I have a 2004 gto and a 2009 g6 gt . Use to own a 2009 g8 gt.
Probably not senior owners, otherwise Buick would be in there.
Practical but yes a bit older drivers, probably, especially since the models are 15+ years old that need basic transport and nothing more.
Ram drivers that’s a given. Subaru too, naive first time AWad owners tricked into thinking those cars are something more special then any other 4WD vehicle and give them false confidence.
I own a 2001 Pontiac Trans Am. It is not on the road in the winter months (Nov-April). Also, I don’t drive it more than 3000 miles per year. These, along with later model GTO’s and G8’s are off the road in northern states.
My Trans Am hibernates in the Winter Months too. And I am very afraid to wreck him when we are out in the summer months… I would never be able to replace him!
I guess if you connect the dots the data says BMW drivers can hold their liqour very well…high DUI rate, but not so bad on accidents. Ram drivers on the other hand are, well, amatuers…half the DUI rate and more accidents.
On the other hand, Subaru drivers? Other than a few WRX’s aren’t they selling sensible and low poweed CUV’s? Makes me wonder what’s really in this data.
Pontiac And Saturn Drivers Are Among The Safest On The Road Today, Study Shows…………..
Despite stiff competition from the likes of Studebaker, Packard, Stutz, Edsel and the crowd sentimental favorite, Hudson!
Yes, not many of these POS left ! So, not that many on the road, look in a junk yard thats where they are now.
If you knew how stats worked you would know that it doesn’t how many are on the road.
LOL, there are still tons of Pontiacs on the road in my free red state, I see multiple examples everyday, including two at my house.
What in the world does “ free red state” have to do with the subject of the article?
Are you old enough to remember when they were sold new on the lots?
I do. I remember when the 4th gen Firebird came out in 1993. I was 21. Then Pontiac did a mod in 1998 with the LS1 in the Trans Am. $30,000.00 may have well been $1mil. I bought mine in 2021. GM was run by a bunch of morons. Not surprised they went bankrupt. They will be bankrupt again soon. Barra and her nonsense with EV’s. She might as well join the Biden administration.
Pontiacs and Saturns are being pushed half the time.
Not mine. I take care of it.
When a vehicle has a nickname like “T-Rex” you can understand how this situation might arise…
I Call my Trans Am Big Red!
Pretty much mirrors what you see on the road. Some dumb dodge Ram driver tailgating. Of course next to a teenage dingy letting autopilot drive while they text in their Tesla.
Nothing new. I’m not sure why but jeep drivers are bad as well. Pretty much your eyes tell you this. No survey required.
BRING BACK PONTIAC!!!!!!!
Why are designing Sports cars for Buick???
People this is based on 1000 vehicles
For 1000 Pontiac cars Compared to 1000 Teslas
Not based on the small amount of Pontiac vehicles on the rd.
I have a 2006 Solstice in my garage.
Pontiac was the poor man’s sports car. Best in styling and pretty good with options and standard equipment.
What other brand put 60 series tires and Aluminum wheels on there vehicles back then. Definitely not Ford. They were still using 4 lug wheels.
I think the folks at ‘Lending Tree’ along with the author here just have too much time on their hands……or just don’t know what pertinent data to analyze…….
Everybody knows they don’t make Saturn and Pontiac parts anymore.
So its not like driving a Tesla, where you just let go of the wheel and let it wreak itself….lol…🤣
I’m retired, driving Lyft a couple of hours in the morning. Here in So cal, the worst are Mercedes and BMW drivers. No contest. Then Tesla, Audi, Lexus and Suburban drivers. Seems the more expensive the car the worse the driver is. These are the ones that cut you off last second instead of being in the proper lane, etc.
The best are Toyota, Honda and Subaru drivers. Also, any real sports car like Corvette, Porsche etc, drivers are good.
I have to keep my eye on Mercedes and Beemers for my own safety. Always texting while driving.
You’re absolutely right, about the worst drivers. Tesla, Subaru, MBZ and BMW are the top ones where live, and commute to. They’ll door drive you, when they’re supposed to merge, and gun it enough to cut you off.
The laughable ones are the sport utilities with their “off road” accoutrements attached, just for looks, especially Suby, Jeep and Toyota. You can tell a lot by how the equipment isn’t banged up, or the undercarriage is immaculate.
I have a 97 Grand Am SE coupe that people try to race, but he just likes to toodle along, in a safe manor. Same with my 18 Cruze RS hatchback. Not a racer, but because he has the look of those little toy Civic hatchbacks, people assume he’s a racer.
As Don Henley put it, “All those jerk-offs in their fancy cars.” Times haven’t changed.
The worst drivers in my area are those 💩 box Korean Hyundai and Kai with the freshly dented fenders. Am not afraid of them in my Hebrewmobile Cadillac Car.
I wager a bet that Tucker drivers are the safest drivers hands down!! What a stupid survey, what libtard organization funded that study? How long have Pontiac and Saturn brands been extinct? Fifteen to twenty years at least.
Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, and Saab died in 2009 with the GM bankruptcy.
Some truck drivers have a lot to be desired with their driving skills. Next time you see a truck, see if they are tailgating. Too many drivers (any vehicle) are in a hurry.