Teens and driving; driving and teens. A match fraught with peril, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is here to help, offering a list of used vehicles that it recommends for safety, reliability, good accident-avoidance qualities and above-average crash protection.
This is a first-time occurrence for the IIHS. With the understanding that most families do not have the budgetary means to spring for a brand new vehicle, the IIHS focused solely on used cars. In its own national phone survey, it found that 83 percent of parents purchased a used vehicle for their teen drivers.
IIHS created a two-tier recommendation matrix. The cars it supports range from less than $5,000 to nearly $20,000. Parents can purchase as much safety as they can afford with this system.
The mean purchase price for vehicles bought by parents for their teens was about $9,800, while the median was only $5.300. Many of the vehicles on the IIHS cost under $10,000, but only three recommended models fell under the $5,300 median.
"Unfortunately, it's very difficult to get a safe vehicle for a teenager at the prices most people are paying," says Anne McCartt, IIHS senior VP for research. "Our advice to parents would be to remember that risks teens take and consider paying a little more."
Speaking of risks teens take behind the wheel, foremost among them are texting while driving, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and driving beyond their skill level. With that in mind, IIHS recommendations are based primarily on these parameters -- that young drivers should stay away from high horsepower autos; that bigger, heavier vehicles protect better in a crash (there are no minicars or small cars on the list); Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is a required safety feature on the recommended cars, as they are about as effective as seat belts in reducing risk; and acceptable or good or better ratings in IIHS crash tests and four or five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In a survey of 500 parents, IIHS discovered that, unfortunately, minicars or small cars were the most frequently purchased type of vehicle for teenagers.
IIHS suggests that parents who cannot find or afford a vehicle on the recommended list should at least purchase a midsize or larger car, an SUV or a minivan with strong safety features. IIHS again stresses the presence of ESC, low horsepower and side airbags as minimum purchase requirements.
