It's not uncommon to hear about the best vehicles on the road today, especially when it comes to safety. Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) award vehicles top marks for passing crash tests. But what about the vehicles that don't do so well? All models must be somewhat safe in order to be legally sold, but the fact is some are less safe than other.

The website 24/7 Wall Street recently did some digging to get to the bottom of the issue. Factoring in reports from the NHTSA and IIHS together with Consumer Reports and J.D. Power quality ratings, the site looked at the "most dangerous" cars in the country.

According to the ratings of these four groups, the Dodge Ram is the worst overall vehicle when it comes to safety. Pickup trucks are generally thought to be safe vehicles, but the Ram performed poorly in side and rollover safety tests. Other models on the list included the Chevrolet Colorado, Jeep Wrangler, Suzuki SX4, Nissan Pathfinder and Mazda CX-7.

Any car can be dangerous if the owner has not kept up with vehicle maintenance. Be sure to properly inflate all tires and get regular brake service in order to avoid problems on the open road.