Back in the days when our parents were in college, enjoying the music of the Beatles, Billy Joel or the Temptations, hanging out on the park during sunsets, the most special thing that they almost always reminisce about is driving their own cars! Whether it’s the Love Bug, a Mustang, a Chevy with
Chevrolet Tahoe brake pads, etc., our parents classically remember their first owned cars as young adults with huge affection.
Today, teens that are headed back to school this semester are also looking forward to their own wheels and this is a primary concern for parents. The question is: are they ready to drive their first car going to school? Is it safe?
In several studies, teens are the highest at-risk group when it comes to car accidents. Motor vehicle collisions are the primary cause of death for young people ranging from 15 to 20 years of age according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Studies said that crashes caused approximately one-third of all fatalities in this age class. On the other hand, the youngest drivers are at highest threat for accidents in the first months after getting their licenses according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Roughly 60 percent of teens are driving cars that are at least seven years old - with 27 percent of those teens actually driving cars that are 12 years old or older. This is as according to a latest national study of more than 900 teen drivers as conducted by Liberty Mutual Group and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). Are these the safest cars for teens that are already tremendously at risk? All of us ask…
"Choosing a car for your teen to drive can be a tricky situation for any parent. Typically the transportation need must be addressed within a practical budget, which often means giving the new teen driver a hand-me-down or purchasing an affordable used car. Safety is often a second or third consideration, but it should be an equal if not leading consideration. Does this mean used cars should be avoided? No. It means parents need to weigh carefully the safety features available and ensure that the important ones are present and working properly ," says Dave Melton, the director of Transportation Technical Consulting Services at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety in Hopkinton, Mass. in a news from
TheAutoChannel.com.
At least four latest significant safety features have become customary in newer car models for the past 15 years which includes advance frontal airbags, side air bags, tire pressure monitoring systems, and electronic stability control. Today, with 88 percent of teens with cars using them to drive to school, now is the time for parents to consider the safety of their teens' vehicles according to the Liberty Mutual/SADD study.
"Getting a driver's license and a first car are rites of passage for teenagers, but this research proves it is vital for parents and teens to choose cars carefully. Safety should be the number-one priority," says Stephen Wallace, the chairman and chief executive officer of the national SADD organization.
