As a parent, you may have mixed emotions about your teenager getting behind the wheel. While you want to encourage their independence, you are understandably nervous for their safety. Because they are more prone to mistakes, picking the right car for them to drive can also be a challenge.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2,514 people were killed in crashes involving a teenage driver aged 15 to 18 years old in 2022. Further research by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) found that from 2000-2011, speeding was a factor in 30% of fatal crashes. While it is illegal, data also showed that 22% of 15- to 18-year-olds were involved in fatal crashes where drinking had been involved.
The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) reports that you may be able to offset the higher auto premiums that come with adding your new driver to your policy when you purchase what’s considered a safe vehicle.
While parents should drill down on establishing safe driving habits with their teens, I.I.I. recommends keeping these things in mind:
- Avoid high-horsepower and sports vehicles as they may encourage reckless driving.
- Look for bigger, heavier vehicles that can withstand a crash.
- Purchase a vehicle equipped with electronic stability control (ESC) to lower the risk of rollover.
- Avoid older vehicles as they don’t have the same safety features as newer cars.
A good place to start looking for a car is by checking NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings, which is updated yearly to determine how new vehicles protect drivers and passengers during a crash and in rollovers.
Parents can also look to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries, and property damage from motor vehicle crashes through research and evaluation.
IIHS and Consumer Reports have teamed up to compile an annual list of safe, reasonably priced vehicles for teen drivers. The 2024 recommendations included two tiers of used vehicles—Best Choices and Good Choices. The list also included new vehicle choices.
As a Massachusetts customer, you can help reduce your teen’s chances of being in a car crash with the teenSMART® safe driver program. The program, by ADEPT Driver®, provides an interactive computer-based training experience with in-car exercises to educate your teen about safe driving habits, which can help reduce the risk of accidents.
MAPFRE customers can also save $50 on the course when their teens sign up for the In Control crash prevention training program. The 4.5-hour course combines hands-on driving training with classroom instruction on topics like emergency braking skills, advanced steering skills, close-quarter maneuverability, and speed control.
You could also ask about MAPFRE’s MotionSmartSM, which collects and analyzes driving data and displays an overall driving score assessed by combining hard braking, hard acceleration, hard cornering, speeding, and phone use. This can potentially lower your premiums through your teen’s safe driving.
We hope you found these tips helpful. Make sure you have your independent agent review your auto insurance policies to make sure you have the right coverage. If you are not a MAPFRE customer yet, you can always get a fast, free quote today on your Massachusetts car insurance to get outstanding coverage at a great price.
