ARLINGTON, Va. (CNN) - How well a vehicle protects a dummy in a crash test closely reflects how well that same vehicle will protect a driver in an actual crash, according to a new report.

An analysis of fatalities from vehicle crashes over more than a decade showed that drivers of cars which received a "good" rating in crash tests were 74 percent less likely to die than drivers of vehicles rated "poor."

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"This new research confirms what the dummies have been telling us," said Adrian Lund of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which conducted the study and reported the findings Thursday. "The dummies say there is a big difference in how well cars protect you. What we see in this real-world data is the dummies don't lie."

In its 40 mph crash tests, the IIHS rates vehicles as either "good," "acceptable," "marginal" or "poor."

In addition to a lower death rate for vehicles with a "good" rating, the analysis showed that drivers of vehicles rated "marginal" or "acceptable" were also 45 percent less likely to die in a crash than people driving vehicles rated as "poor."

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Lund said while the new report doesn't by itself tell consumers what car to buy, they can now "use crash test results with much more confidence."

"Look at the crash test ratings and go for a car that is rated 'good,' rather the one rated 'poor.'"

When the IIHS started testing vehicles in 1995, half of them were rated "marginal" or "poor." But in the last two rounds of testing, no vehicles were rated as less than "acceptable," which Lund hails as success.

Rated "Poor" These vehicles, all available as 2004 models and largely unchanged since tested, were rated "Poor" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety • Chevrolet Astro van • Chevrolet Blazer • Chevrolet Cavalier • Chevrolet Venture minivan • Ford F-150 Heritage edition (Not redesigned version) • Dodge Dakota pickup • GMC Safari van • Kia Spectra • Oldsmobile Alero • Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan • Pontiac Grand Am • Pontiac Montana minivan Source: IIHS

Several vehicles listed as "poor" by the IIHS are still available as 2004 models. None of them have been redesigned by manufacturers since testing poorly.

One of those vehicles, the Ford F-150, is available today in both the version tested by IIHS and a new, redesigned version which was recently called a "Best pick" by the institute.

Still, a spokesperson for Ford called the Heritage edition F-150 a safe truck in spite of its "Poor" rating by IIHS.

"Our analysis of government data shows that Ford F-150 performs as well, or better than, other pick-ups," said Kristen Kinley of Ford Motor Company, referring to real-world crash data.

General Motors, which manufactures Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac vehicles, also feels that the "Poor" rating from IIHS on some of its older-design vehicles doesn't reflect real-world safety performance, said Jim Schell, a GM spokesperson. Still, GM has been taking into account off-set crash tests like IIHS's in designing its newer vehicles, he said.

A spokesperson for Kia, manufacturer of the "Poor"-rated Spectra, pointed out that a redesigned Spectra will be available in showrooms later this year. The redesigned Spectra will have improved safety features, she said.

In its report, the IIHS matched data from the government's Fatality Analysis Reporting System against crash tests it has conducted on vehicles since 1995. The comparison was made for 195 vehicle designs, including cars, trucks, minivans and SUVs.

For head-on collisions, the comparison was limited to crashes where the vehicle types involved were similar, such as car-to-car or truck-to-truck.