The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recorded that the Subaru Legacy has a zero death rate. The study looked at the number of deaths per million registered vehicles.
The Legacy is one of only 9 vehicles to have death rates of zero, and one of only two mid-size sedans to make it onto that list. The other vehicles on the list are SUVs or Minivans.
There's no doubt that the Legacy is a safe vehicle; however, this IIHS study isn’t the best way to show that. The IIHS looked at multi-vehicle crash death rates, single-vehicle crash death rates, and rollover death rates. While a safe car can prevent death in an accident, a safe driver can prevent an accident from even happening. This study may give more insight into driver tendencies than to the safety of the vehicles.
However the IIHS does have an effective way to gauge a vehicle's safety. IIHS Top Safety Pick ratings test vehicles to see how they perform in crash scenarios. The tests evaluate how well a vehicle protects the driver and passengers in the event of a crash, and they also take into account a vehicle's ability prevent a crash (technology that can help avoid accidents or make them less severe).
Not only did the Legacy receive a Top Safety Pick award, but also a Top Safety Pick+ award. To qualify for a Top Safety Pick+ award, a vehicle has to earn a rating of good or better in every category, plus a rating of advanced or superior for front crash prevention.
But Subaru safety doesn’t stop with the Legacy. Every vehicle in the Subaru line up has Top Safety Pick ratings from the IIHS, and that's been the case for five years straight.
