Reader question:
My teenage daughter just got her license so we’re looking for a car. We want something safe, but also something that won’t hurt our insurance rates to much. Any advice?
Sharon
It’s important to get your kid into a safe car.
Lots of parents fret when their teenager comes to that time in life where they’re finally allowed to operate a motor vehicle, because once they get there it seems that’s all they can do.
This causes a lot of worry, because teenagers aren’t exactly known for their ability to behave safely and make great decisions. The worry also comes from a rise in insurance rates from adding a younger person to your policy. Because of these reasons, it’s important to think about the kind of car you’ll be getting for your teenager.
- Stay away from flashy sports cars that go fast. That’s basically your teenager’s car dream, but cars like these encourage risky behavior and you don’t want to get something that encourages your kid to drive faster. A vehicle that’s more sedate will lower the chances of your teen getting in an accident related to speed quite a bit.
- Get something stable. SUVs, the smaller ones especially, are very unstable because they have higher centers of gravity. Because of this, the more abrupt way of driving caused when a new driver is over-compensating for a steering mistake or just messing around can cause rollovers or skidding.
- Get crash protection. Young adults ought to be cars that have the highest amount of crash-protection.
- No small vehicles. I know this seems like a paradox. What, no SUV, now no small cars? It’s true that most parents prefer to opt for more economic cars so that the gas will be more easy to handle, but it’s better to put your teen in mid-sized car, like a sedan, because these offer greater protection in case of a crash.
- Binge on something new. You might be tempted to get your kid something older so that they can afford to buy it themselves. This is good, because it teaches responsibility, but think about the fact that cars these days are a lot safer from those from five or ten years ago.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.