Choose the Safest Car for Your Teenage Driver
Shopping for your teenager’s first car can be tricky and difficult for parents. How does a parent know what to look for in their teen’s first vehicle? What is the proper balance of desirability, practicality, and safety? By following these pragmatic rules amassed from the leading specialists, you will make certain that your teenager’s first vehicle is practical, affordable, and above all else, very safe.
When shopping for your teenager’s first car, a good rule of thumb is to purchase the safest car you can afford, and never scrimp on safety features. It is a sad statistic that car crashes are the number one killer of teenagers in America. According to the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety’s 2008 Report:
In the United States, teenagers drive less than all but the oldest people, but their numbers of crashes and crash deaths are disproportionately high. The crash rate per mile driven for 16-19 year-olds is 4 times the risk for older drivers. Risk is highest at age 16. In fact, the crash rate per mile driven is doubly as high for 16 year-olds as it is for 18-19 year-olds.
With the crash rates for teenagers, especially 16 year-olds, so high, safety has to be the number one factor in choosing your teen’s first vehicle. Look for a vehicle with electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock brakes, curtain air bags, and good crash-test results (which can be found on the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety’s website). A Manhattan auto accident attorney is careful to note that traction control is not the same as ESC, which can be tough to find on vehicles made before 2006. ESC will be required on all vehicles starting in 2012.
In an ideal world, parents would be able to afford to go out and buy a brand-new mid-size automobile with the most modern safety features available, but this is not the world we live in. A Manhattan auto accident attorney recommends purchasing a vehicle with the highest number of airbags available.
Consumer Reports put out a listing of their “Best Cars For Teen Drivers” for 2010. The Consumer Reports’ list contains several small, lightweight cars, even though the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety warns against vehicles fitting that description. However, both groups do advise against larger SUVs and pickup trucks (“clumsy handling, poor fuel economy”, prone to roll over) and sports cars (higher rate of accidents compared to other cars). The Consumer Reports list appears at the very end of this piece.
Dissimilar to conventional wisdom, a larger vehicle does not always equal a safer vehicle. Larger vehicles are frequently harder to manage than smaller vehicles, which are more agile. Larger vehicles typically do not stop or handle as well as smaller vehicles.
A Long Island car accident lawyer and a Manhattan auto accident attorney (who know a thing or two about auto accidents) agree that bigger does not equal better when it comes to a teenager’s first car. According to them, an ideal vehicle is a mid-size family sedan. This type of car posses a good blend of handling, fuel efficiency, and size. Mid-size family sedans are typically available with all the latest safety features.
After compiling all available reports, it turns out that the midsize car your teenager grew up riding in is now the ideal choice for their first car. But as reported above, do not just hand them the keys to a ten year-old sedan, try to purchase the latest and most safety-feature laden vehicle that fits your budget.
2010 Consumer Reports Best Cars For Teen Drivers
Small cars
Hyundai Elantra SE (2008-present) $11,775-$18,695
Mazda 3 (2007-) $13,025-$19,070
Scion xB (2008-) $14,075-$18,630
Scion xD (2008-) $13,675-$16,620
Subaru Impreza (2008-) non-turbo, $13,700-$19,106
Suzuki SX4 Crossover (2007-) $10,150-$17,519
Family cars
Acura TSX (2004-) $13,725-$29,675
Honda Accord (2008-) 4-cyl., $17,725-$22,795
Kia Optima (2007-) 4-cyl., $9,900-$20,365
Toyota Prius (2004-) $11,750-$22,950
Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 (2006-) $12,825-$22,965
Small SUVs
Honda CR-V (2005- ) $13,300-$25,805
Nissan Rogue (2008- ) $16,550-$25,850