A new study shows a wide range in driver death rates, with the smallest, cheapest cars proving to be the most risky in a serious accident. The study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which looked at large-sales volume vehicles between the 2008 and 2011 model years, found that the four-door versions of Kia Rio, Nissan Versa and Hyundai Accent had the highest rates of driver deaths per 1 million registered vehicles. For the Rio, for instance, it was 149 deaths per 1 million over the study period, 2009 to 2012. The vehicles with the highest death rates also happened to be among the cheapest, entry-level models, but IIHS spokesman Russ Rader says that cost wasn't a big factor. "The highest death rates are in the smallest, lightest vehicles," he says, once again showing that the greater mass makes a difference in the physics of a crash. "It's Packaging 101: If the occupant compartment stays intact, the seat belts and air bags can do their jobs." There were a couple of exceptions in the top 10: The Chevrolet Camaro sporty car and the Chevrolet Silverado crew cab pickup. He says that all cars make a big improvement in the latest study. He recalled a crash test on a 1997 Dodge Neon, another small car from an earlier era, where the passenger compartment "just collapses" in a crash test. The study took into account that some models have disproportionately high rates of young, male drivers -- the riskiest group -- and tried to compensate. Here's the list of models with the highest death rates. Numbers represent driver deaths per 1 million over the years studied, from 2009 to 2012: 1. Kia Rio four-door, 149 2. Nissan Versa, 130 3. Hyundai Accent four-door, 120 4. Chevrolet Aveo, 99 5. Hyundai Accent two-door, 86 6. Chevrolet Camaro, 80 7. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew, 79 8. Honda Civic two-door, 76 9. Nissan Versa hatchback, 71 10. Ford Focus, 70 Source: usatoday.com