Does Your Teenager Drive a Safe Car?
22 September 1999
Does Your Teenager Drive a Safe Car? New Survey Finds Safety A Low Priority In Choosing Teen's First Car
LOS ANGELES--Sept. 21, 1999--With the start of the new school year, thousands of teenagers across the country are looking forward to getting their first driver's license -- and thousands of parents are worried about their children's safety behind the wheel.By selecting the right vehicle as their teens' first car, some of the concern parents have for their children's automotive safety could be eased. Unfortunately, many parents do not consider safety a priority when selecting their child's first car.
According to a survey released jointly Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Insurance Information Institute, safety factors were rarely mentioned by parents as a reason for selecting the vehicles driven by their teenagers.
Due to their lack of driving experience, teens are typically at a high risk of being involved in a traffic accident, and have the highest driver death rates of any age group. In 1997 alone, more than 5,700 teenagers died in motor vehicle crashes, and many more were left severely and permanently injured in traffic collisions.
Maturity can also be an issue behind the wheel, with teens showing a high rate of speeding and reckless driving violations. Keep this in mind when you decide which vehicle your teen will drive after they get their first license.
Sports cars and other vehicles with performance features, such as turbochargers, are likely to encourage speeding. Choosing a vehicle with a more sedate image can reduce the chance that your teen will be in a speed-related crash.
Sports utility vehicles, especially the smaller ones, are inherently less stable than cars because of their higher centers of gravity. Abrupt steering maneuvers can cause SUVs to roll over.
Today's cars are better designed for crash protection than cars of 6 to 10 years ago and are equipped with safety features such as air bags and anti-lock brakes. Also keep in mind that small vehicles offer much less protection in crashes than larger ones. Many mid- and full-size cars offer greater crash protection than compact and sports cars.
The Western Insurance Information Service, the west coast affiliate of the Insurance Information Institute, is a nonprofit, nonlobbying media relations organization supported by the property/casualty insurance industry. WIIS has spokespeople in both Northern and Southern California. For more information on this and other safety issues, contact media relations at 800/397-1679 or visit the company's Web site at www.wiis.org.
