Monday, April 20, 2009

What Kind of Car Should My Teen Drive?

Nothing beats the thrill of being handed your first set of keys to go out for a spin. Most parents teach their child to drive in their own car, while others opt to purchase a vehicle that will be deemed as the teenager’s. Parents do their best to set ground rules for the new driver such as setting curfews, weekly mileage limits, and requesting insurance money from the teenager. They do their best to explain the traffic laws and enforce driving the speed limit. One additional safety measure we can take is thoughtfully deciding what car the teen will drive. Whether the new driver will be driving the car every day or just once a week, the vehicle needs to be in safe and good working condition. There are a few factors to consider when deciding which vehicle to allow your child to operate on the roads.

Year of the vehicle
The year the vehicle was manufactured has a great deal to do with how safe it is. For instance, beginning in September of 2007, it was required that all seatbelts in a vehicle be a three-point belt, which is a lap belt and a belt across the chest. Before then, middle seats in the back seat of a car were permitted to only have lap belts. Some older cars have a stationary lap belt with a moving chest belt (when you close the door the chest belt moves towards you) in the driver and passenger seats. These are not as safe as a stationary three-point belt.

The year of the vehicle also indicates the use of airbags. Consider your child being hit by another driver; would you want airbags in just the front or would you prefer side airbags as well? Until 1995, airbags were not mandatory in trucks, so some do not have them. Some vehicles are equipped with side curtain airbags, rear curtain airbags, knee airbags, and even roll-sensing side curtain airbags found in some SUVs.

Obviously, the age of the vehicle will predict how much work it will need in the future. You may find it difficult to find replacement parts for some older cars, and you might find yourself needing to fix an older vehicle more often than a newer vehicle.

Make and model of the vehicle
Some of the manufacturers that produce vehicles are known to offer a quality car that will run for many years and only needs the basic tuning. There are other manufactures that people know to be leery of, having a reputation of faulty parts and weak abilities. Finding a manufacturer, or make, of a vehicle that will keep you from worrying about the car falling apart after a few months of use is a way of knowing you’ve purchased a safe vehicle.

The model of the car is also important. For example, a Subaru Forrester wouldn’t get a male teenager in as much trouble with traffic violations as a Subaru WRX. A sportier car will be driven faster just because it can be driven faster. While both models are safe cars from Subaru, you typically wouldn’t see a teen racing around in a Forrester, but you can bet you’d see the teen become a lead-foot in the WRX. Do the smart thing and avoid allowing your teenager to drive a car that invites speeding or other reckless driving.

You will also want to consider a model that is mid-sized or larger. It may not be very safe to let a new driver behind the wheel of a monstrous SUV, but it is definitely a safety hazard to allow a teen to drive something very small. There is little protection in a small, two-door vehicle, despite its being cheap to buy and inexpensive for gas. Teenagers don’t have the experience needed to quickly maneuver around a semi-truck or other large vehicle if in distress.

Safety features
Many cars on the road today offer safety features. These features are both passive and active safety devices. Earlier mentioned were seatbelts and airbags, an active and passive safety device respectively. These two features save thousands of lives each year when used correctly. Encourage (and maybe demand) your teen driver to fasten the seatbelt before the engine of the vehicle is even started. Also have your teen pass this rule on to any passengers coming along. An anti-lock break system is another safety feature you may require for your teen’s car.

Price
The price of your teen’s car will probably factor into your decision, but every parent will have a differing opinion here. Some parents will outright purchase the car for the teen, while other parents require the teen to purchase their own vehicle. The third group of parents offer to help pay for the car by either matching what the teen has saved or by giving a flat rate. Whichever group you fall into, remember that cheaper cars are older cars, and older cars tend to have more problems and are less safe. Teenage drivers need vehicles that will be dependable and offer safety, not only for their wellbeing but also for the wellbeing of the other drivers on the road.

Cost of Insurance
Teenagers are one of the most expensive groups of drivers to insure. Because of their lack of experience and relative inability to make good judgments quickly, they are involved in more traffic violations and accidents. Companies rate auto insurance for teenagers as high risk, meaning they pose a higher risk of filing a claim than an older driver.

Each vehicle costs a different amount to insure. Safer vehicles cost less to insure, but newer vehicles cost more than older vehicles to insure. When deciding which car to allow your teenager to drive, talk with your auto insurance agent and find out which car out of your possible choices would fit your budget best.

Because every family is different, there may be additional factors determining which car to allow the teenager to drive. These are only the basics to consider. This decision is an important one, but the more important thing to consider is whether or not your teenager is ready to operate a vehicle without a parent’s supervision. Putting a mature teenage driver behind the wheel of a safe vehicle is the best chance to avoid any accident situations.

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