ARLINGTON, Va. -- An analysis of death rates in auto crashes finds that SUVs, pickup trucks and cars are much safer than they used to be.

Related: Crash Tests: Cars Getting Safer

According to the report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, death rates are down 30 percent since the mid-1990s.

Chevrolet models take prizes for both best and worst. The lowest death rate among more than 200 vehicles is the Astro minivan?s 7 per million registered vehicle years. The highest is 232 per million in the 2-door, 2-wheel-drive version of the Chevrolet Blazer, a midsize SUV.

"This range from best to worst has been the pattern since we began comparing deaths by make and model in the late 1980s," said Anne McCartt, the institute's senior vice president for research. "The rates vary not only among groups of vehicles by type, size, and weight but also among individual models within the groups of similar vehicles."

CARS WITH LOWEST DEATH RATES
RANK	CAR	TYPE	DEATHS/MILLION VEHICLE
1	Chevrolet Astro	Minivan	7
2	Infiniti G35	Luxury Car	11
2	BMW 7 Series	Luxury Car	11
4	Toyota 4Runner	SUV	13
5	Audi A4/S4 Quattro	Sedan	14
5	Mercedes E Class	Luxury Car	14
5	Toyota Highlander	SUV	14
5	Mercedes M Class	SUV	14
9	Toyota Sienna	Minivan	17
9	Honda Odyssey	Minivan	17
11	Lexus ES330	Luxury Car	18
11	Lexus RX330	SUV	18
11	Toyota Sequoia	SUV	18
14	Honda Pilot	SUV	19
14	BMW X5	9.6	19
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Large, heavy vehicles dominate the list with the lowest death rates, while small cars have the highest death rates. The report says sporty cars have high death rates because they're more likely to be driven in risky ways.

As high as death rates are in some models, the average rate for all vehicles is going down over time. The average driver death rate in 1989-93 models during 1990-94 was 110 per million registered vehicle years.

When the IIHS later computed the rates in 1999-2002 models, the average was 87 per million and now it?s down to 79.

"This is a big improvement over time. The rates have gone down about 30 percent since the mid-1990s," McCartt said.

The Institute computes death rates for drivers only, not passengers, because varying numbers of passengers in crashes of one vehicle versus another would affect the rates.

"Though the focus is on drivers, the rates reflect the relative fatality risk for all occupants," McCartt said.

Characteristics that influence vehicles? death rates include type and body style.

Another important factor is size. The smallest vehicles in any type/body style group generally have the highest rates. None of the 15 vehicles with the lowest driver death rates is a small model. In contrast, 11 of the 16 vehicles with the highest death rates are mini or small models, and none is large or very large.

The institute said two technologies have made a big difference in death rates: side airbags, which protect the head and chest, and electronic stability control.