Why do we all slow down to look when we see a car accident? 20150827_103406 The truth is we are drawn to the carnage, possibly seeing a body emerge from the twisted wreck and cheering for the survivor. More and more today, you hear about the dangers of distracted driving, and importance of defensive driving. The number one cause of deaths among teens is vehicular accidents. While some accidents may be due to poor decisions, many are caused by inexperience behind the wheel.

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Choosing the right car for a teen driver is also critical.

The biggest car-tank, is not always the best idea because of a lack of maneuverability. The older car, while lacking the latest stereo may also be missing important airbags and safety enhancements. Look for cars with lots of airbags, blind spot and lane departure warning systems. Side and Back-up cameras, front crash detection alerts are also important for every drivers safety, young or older. This is a VW Jetta, and the best thing I can say about this car is everyone walked away without a scratch. The cage construction held up perfectly.20150827_103416 The roof bent slightly from the rollover: back to front, but the doors held and firewall kept the engine in place. While not everyone can purchase a new Jetta, consider the NHTSA crash tests when selecting a car for your young person… or yourself for that matter. There are front, rear, side and off-set tests, all designed and rated to a 5 star level.  

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5 Start CRASH TESTS- what do they mean?

5 The 5 star means the least likely to cause fatal harm. it drops in 20% degrees from there. The government has also changed the scale to consider the height and weight of the driver to be that of a small female (120 lbs. and 5′ 5″ tall). This allows for a more stringent guideline to get the 5 star rating as a smaller person could realize more blunt force damage than the previous dummy scale ( a male, 6′, 200 lbs.).   so, as you consider car shopping for yourself or your teen student driver… look at the crash test results closely. And if you need more assistance, remember: MYCARLADY offers free car buying advice. Just give me a shout-out at sarahlee at  mycarlady dot com. ——————————– Sarah Lee Marks is MyCarlady. She has over 26+ years of experience. She writes about cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. MyCarlady offers free car buying advice, and private, auto-related services to help you maintain your personal or commercial vehicles. Call Sarah Lee for more information. Join the MyCarlady newsletter to be kept up-to-date on this and other important car information. ]]>