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Your teen is getting his/her license and, of course, wants a car.  Owning a car can represent a "rite of passage" and freedom.  Teens may also feel that the kind of car, or vehicle, they drive  may also say something about them, helps them make a statement with friends. 

However, before buying your teen a vehicle, think twice. There are safe vehicles, and unsafe vehicles.  So doing some homework is very important before handing the keys over to your teen driver. 

On July 16, 2014 the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) issued their recommendations for safe used vehicles for teens.  This list is the "...first ever list of recommended used vehicles for teens". The IIHS, in their studies, had found that teens were not driving the safest vehicles. The vehicles they were driving did not offer the best safety protections or technology.

Adrian Lund, President of IIHS said, "A teenager's first car is more than just a financial decision. These lists of recommended used vehicles can help consumer factor in safety, in addition to affordability."

IIHS surveyed 500 parents, forty-three percent said that their child drove a vehicle which was purchased around the time he or she began driving.  The most commonly purchased types of vehicle were minicars or small cars; twenty-eight percent of those purchasing vehicles for their children bought these vehicles. A little more than half of the newly-purchased vehicles were 2006 or older.  IIHS believes that is a problem because the older vehicles are much less likely to have safety features such as electronic stability control (ESC) and side airbags.

Studies done previously by IIHS showed that teenagers who were killed in crashes were more likely than adults to have been driving small and older vehicles.  Among fatally injured drivers ages 15-17 in 2008-2012, twenty-nine percent were in minicars or small cars, while twenty percent of fatally injured drivers ages 35-50 were in minicars or small cars.  Eighty-two percent of the young teen drivers were in vehicles that were at least six years old, compared with seventy-seven percent of the adult group.

The IIHS recommends that parents keep in mind four main principles when choosing a vehicle for a teen driver:

• "Young drivers should stay away from high horsepower.  Vehicles with more powerful engines can tempt teens to test the limits.
• Bigger, heavier vehicles protect better in a crash.  There are no minicars or small cars on the recommended list.  Small SUV's are included because their weight is similar to that of a midsize car.
• ESC is a must.  This feature, which helps a driver maintain control of the vehicle on curves and slippery roads, reduces risk on a level comparable to safety belts.
• Vehicles should have the best safety ratings possible.  At a minimum, that means good ratings in the IIHS moderate overlap front test, acceptable ratings in the IIHS side crash test, and four or five star0s from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)."

"I urge parents of new teen drivers to review the IIHS recommendations for used vehicles for teens before making the purchase or allowing a teen to drive the family vehicle.  The IIHS recommends the Best and Good choices in their list.  Here is a link to the IIHS list to make it easier to make informed decisions when purchasing vehicles teens will drive.  This list should also be used when shopping for any vehicle a family member may drive," says Randall Spivey of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.

Fort Myers Personal Injury Lawyer, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.