It is a question that every parent faces at some time or the other. The answer to that question is also critical, because it is a question of your child’s safety. Buying the right car for your teen child is important, and safety needs to be the top priority.
Many parents simply go in for a used car, which they believe is the safe choice for their teenager. That may not necessarily be the safest or most responsible choice for your child. Rather than the model year of the car, you should be looking at safety ratings developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency gives a “five-star rating” for cars that it considers the safest.
There are also other ratings that you can use to make your choice. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for instance, every year releases its “top safety picks” in which it rates the safest cars. The Insurance Industry for Highway Safety, in fact, rates models that perform the best in not just in frontal impact, but also side-impact, roll over and rear accident testing.
A safe car is not necessarily expensive. Look for a car that comes with good ratings, and has essentials like electronic stability control systems. These are potentially life-saving technologies that help reduce the risk of deadly rollovers.
If you believe that you should avoid buying your child SUV or pickup truck because of the high risk of a rollover involving these cars, you are wrong. SUVs and pickup trucks have become significantly safer over the years, especially since many of these models now come with electronic stability control. That means a reduced risk of a rollover. Besides, your child is much more likely to survive an accident if he is in an SUV or pickup truck rather than in a compact or subcompact.
For help filing a claim after a car accident, speak with a Los Angeles car accident lawyer.
