Choose the right car for your teen

What to look for in your teen’s first car

Even though your teen is alarmingly likely to crash your car in his first six months or so of driving, it doesn’t pay to saddle him with a jalopy. The fact is that the newer the car the safer it is – new cars are more crash-worthy and have protective features such as airbags. Plus, the fact that crashes involving teens often result in cars rolling over makes electronic stability control (ESC) vital – it can sense if the car is out of control and automatically apply the brakes and engine power as necessary.

If your teen crashes your car you can buy another car. If your teen dies because the vehicle he crashes lacks up-to-date safety features, you won’t able to replace him

A bad vehicle choice could see your teen end up in intensive care – or worse – but he’s likely to make speed, looks and a deafening sound system his priority when it comes to the car of his dreams. Stick to your guns and think in terms of safety and reliability: after all, not only do you want to avoid serious injury – you also want to avoid breakdowns that strand your teen miles from home after dark. So what are the main considerations?

1 Size

Don’t assume a smaller car will be better because it’s more maneuverable if your teen gets into trouble – mid- or large-sized cars stand up better in crashes. If you need proof check out the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IISH) records on car safety going by make and model: the majority of its top 16 cars with the highest accident rates are compact or subcompact vehicles. Despite this, research by State Farm Insurance suggests that a third of teen drivers use these smaller cars. Some good larger safety-based choices include the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable, which come with optional ESC, and the mid-sized Honda Accord and Subaru Legacy (also with optional ESC). Although SUVs have reasonable safety records, they aren’t suitable for inexperienced drivers since they can roll over during an abrupt maneuver – highly likely if your teen is attempting to avoid a collision.

2 Speed

Teens are more likely to take risk behind the wheel so opt for a less powerful vehicle. Crashes involving small cars have the highest death rates – but small sporty cars come off worse in that group. Avoid anything that enables your teen to accelerate rapidly in less than 60 seconds – from around zero to 60mph in 10 seconds or so is sufficient to ensure safe lane changes and merging into highway traffic.

3 Crashworthiness 


You can check crash test scores at with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the IIHS, although you should keep in mind that crash tests only assess how well a car would protect the driver and passengers in a crash involving a similar-sized vehicle. Choose a car that comes equipped with side airbags and side curtain airbags; and one with ESC (this will be mandatory on all passenger vehicles by 2012).

4 Crash avoidance

When it comes to crash avoidance, technology is improving all the time. ESC is one example; others include devices that can alert the driver to vehicles in his blind spot during driving and parking, and judge the speed of an approaching vehicle to warn you if changing lanes could be risky. Cruise control has also been adapted in newer cars to incorporate sensors that allow speed adjustments if there’s a reduction in traffic speed or another vehicle cuts in ahead of yours. Further new developments include rollover mitigation (your vehicle applies the brakes and reduces speed if it senses a rollover could be imminent) and airbags that sense the size and weight of a car’s occupants as they deploy. Keep in mind that many of these additional safety features are only available in cars that are less than three to four years old.

 

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