Choosing a Safe Vehicle
When it comes to safety, not all vehicles are the same.
Choosing a safe vehicle is perhaps the single most important thing you can do to protect your teen during his or her first few years of driving. Whether you are purchasing, sharing or passing down a vehicle to your teen, vehicle safety is critical to reduce the chances of your teen being seriously injured or killed in a crash.
Important safety features
- Airbags: Probably the single most important safety feature. Side airbags are especially important for crashes from the side (e.g., T-bone crashes) and for protecting passengers.
- Antilock brakes: Help the driver maintain control when braking hard.
- Electronic Stability Control “ESC”: Helps a driver maintain control of the vehicle on curves and slippery roads. It detects when the car is losing traction and automatically makes adjustments to keep the car on the road.
Starting in 2013, all of these became standard features. But that doesn’t mean that pre-2013 vehicles are necessarily a bad choice. For earlier models, do your homework about safety features. Some vehicles introduced this technology in earlier model years.
Vehicle technology
Vehicle technology is advancing rapidly. New cars often have features that didn’t exist only a few years ago, and it can be hard to tell what features a car has, what they do and can’t do, and how they work. The vehicle manufacturer’s website and owners manual can help you understand exactly how they operate in your car.
Manufacturers sometimes have different names for similar technology, but here are a few terms you might come across:
- ACC: Adaptive Cruise Control works like regular cruise control to keep your car at a constant speed, but in some circumstances it can help slow you down to match the speed of the car ahead of you. Some ACC systems can slow to a stop in traffic, but not all of them do this.
- Note that, like all of the features on this list, ACC may help make driving easier, but make sure your teen knows that the driver must pay attention to the road and be ready to take over control, as there are situations that it won’t be able to respond to safely!
- FCA: Forward collision alert can help alert you if the car senses that you are about to hit something in front, like a suddenly-stopped car.
- AEB: Some cars also have automatic emergency braking that can help apply the brakes in an emergency if the driver doesn’t respond to an FCA.
- RCTA: Similar to FCA, rear cross-traffic alert can alert the driver if, when backing out of a parking spot, a car or pedestrian is approaching from the side. Some cars also have a rear AEB to stop the car from backing into a hazard.
- LDW/LKA/LC: These systems – lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, and lane-centering – can help you keep your car in the lane if you start to drift. Some provide an audible alert or a steering wheel nudge, while others can give just a little bit of steering to correct an accidental lane drift. These systems will not steer for you and your teen must keep their hands on the wheel!
- BSW/BSA: Similar to the lane keeping systems, blind spot warning or alert systems can help alert you if there is a vehicle in your blind spot when you start to change lanes. Alerts are often a light in the side-view mirror, but can also be beeps or a steering wheel nudge.
- Automatic high beams can help drivers stay safer at night by turning on high-beam (bright) headlights when the car senses no oncoming vehicles, helping you see farther ahead, and dipping back to low-beam lights when an oncoming car approaches.
Physical controls
If possible, pick a car that has physical controls for often-used functions like climate control and media (for example, a fan-speed button or a volume knob). Some newer cars put these controls in a touchscreen that is more distracting and takes the driver’s eyes off the road longer than pressing a button.
A note on automation
Some of the newest cars on the market offer varying degrees of vehicle automation, often using potentially confusing names like “Autopilot” or “Full Self Driving”. It’s very important to understand that right now there are no autonomous cars sold to the public, and all of these systems require drivers to pay attention to the road at all times and be ready to take over control.
It may be best for new teen drivers to learn without using automation systems. This way they can develop the vehicle control skills to take over when the system encounters a situation it can’t handle.
Things to avoid
- Small, light vehicles: This is just physics. All things being equal, when a large vehicle crashes into a small vehicle, the large vehicle wins. Most cars recommended for teens are mid-size sedans or small to mid-size SUVs as they offer more protection.
- Pickup trucks and off-road vehicles: Pickups and other tall vehicles with high ground clearance are more likely to roll over in a crash.
- Sports cars: Sports cars have too much power for inexperienced drivers.
Vehicle age matters
Vehicle age is very important. Newer vehicles are much more likely to have important safety features and to be designed in a way that reduces the likelihood of serious injury for vehicle occupants. Age is not the only important factor—make sure the vehicle also performs well in crash tests (see below).
The video below shows a crash test involving two Toyota Corollas – a 1998 and a 2015. The newer Corolla is the white vehicle. Pay close attention to what happens inside the car
IIHS/Consumer reports car list
IIHS maintains a list of recommended used vehicles for teen drivers in a wide range of prices. If you plan to purchase a vehicle for your teen, this list will help you choose the safest vehicle for your money. You can find this list on the IIHS website.
Sharing a vehicle
Teens have very high crash rates during the first 6-12 months of unsupervised driving. One of the most important things you can do to keep them safe is to share a vehicle during this high-risk period. Teens who share a vehicle are less likely to be involved in a crash, in part because they drive somewhat less, but also because they’re more careful with the car. Sharing a vehicle can be challenging, but it has a big impact on your teen’s safety. Plus, insurance rates are much lower when sharing a vehicle, so you’ll save money!
“Hand-me-down” vehicles
Many teens receive a “hand-me-down” vehicle from a parent, older sibling or friend. Although this may be a less expensive option, it is still critical to make sure the vehicle is safe for a new teen driver. Check the vehicle’s safety features using the list above. Also, make sure the vehicle performs well in crash tests. IIHS and NHTSA provide crash test ratings for all makes and models of vehicles. Check the crash test ratings for your vehicle here:
www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings (IIHS)
Vehicle occupants are more likely to be injured or killed in vehicles that do not have good crash test ratings. If your vehicle does not perform well, you should strongly consider a different vehicle.