The Insurance Institute for Highway safety released their annual report on vehicle death and injuries for over 200 different 2001-2004 model year vehicles. The period of accidents covered was 2002-2005. Driver death rates averaged 79 per million registered vehicles.
A conversation with a Yavapai County Sheriff officer summed it up, when he stated "big vehicles win". His family drives a Suburban.
The Institute rates vehicles good, acceptable, marginal, or poor based on performance in high-speed front and side crash tests plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts. The first requirement for a vehicle to become a Top Safety Pick is to earn good ratings in all three Institute tests. A new requirement for 2007 is that the winning vehicles must offer electronic stability control. This addition is based on Institute research indicating that ESC significantly reduces crash risk, especially the risk of fatal single vehicle crashes, by helping drivers maintain control of their vehicles during emergency maneuvers.
SOURCE : INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY http://www.iihs.org.