A parent's guide to protecting your precious child, a teen's guide to scoring a new car on your sweet sixteen.
I was reading an interesting article in The Family Circle Magazine today and I thought I'd share it with the parents out there who have a teen. I was reminded that teens have a high crash rate; teens crash four times more than an adult 20 or older. (See my previous post about safe teen driving.)Even with this fact, only 20 percent of parents said that safety was the most important factor in selecting a car for their new teen.
The good thing is that there is hope for teen drivers out there; a shocking statistic was found by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Between 1996 and 2005, accidents among 16-year-olds (the highest-risk drivers) fell 40 percent. This is due mainly to new safety features.
A few questions that may come up include: Big or small? Basic or loaded? New or used? Dull or dream?
Big or small? Midsize
Small cars generally have low crash scores, but big cars generally have bad handling and easily loose control. For more crash ratings go there iihs.org/ratings
Basic or loaded?
electronic stability control (ESC) is a great safety breakthrough. It can selectively add abs or reduce power to certain wheels. It is also highly effective
I'd like to encourage you to do some research before you turn over the car keys or make your next car purchase.
- Find more information about buying a safe car.
- For a list of vehicles that offer ESC(electronic stability control) as standard or optional equipment, go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- For further information on auto safety, visit Consumer Reports.
