What the best “first car” for a teen?
Smallest? Mid-size? SUV? Sporty? Old? New?
What’s the answer? Purchasing the safest vehicle should be the key for a teen’s first car.
Teens 16 to 19 are four times as likely to crash as older drivers. The worst year is the first year after getting a license. Also, the more teens riding in the car, the more likely the driver will crash it.
Bella Dinh-Zarr, the North American director of Make Roads Safe, said: “What I usually tell parents is, you don’t have to buy the most expensive car on the lot to keep them safe. It doesn’t even have to be a new car. There is a safe vehicle in almost every price range,” she said, “but there’s no car that will protect your teen if you haven’t taught them good safety habits.”
David Champion, director of automobile testing for Consumer Reports, advises to get the safest car possible. He said, “Let’s keep them around so they can buy a car of their own choice. People always ask what to pay for a car. I say, ‘How much would you pay to have your child back?’ I’d pay anything. This is the most dangerous part of their lives.’”
(The New York Times, 9/30/07)
Read Original Article
—Interact:
If you are thinking of buying your teen a first car, what are your criteria?
Respond to the Interact Question by adding a comment to this article
