Tag Archives: autosafety

Double Your Driving Safety by Cutting Your Annual Mileage in Half

November 7, 2016 Mike

One of the points I try to drive home on this blog is that there are really only two ways to make driving safer for yourself and your loved ones: the first is to drive safer vehicles, and the second is to drive with safer techniques. I recently focused on some of those safer techniques here, and estimated that following them 100% of the time could cut your risk of being involved in a fatal crash by half, based on the fact that roughly 50% of auto fatalities don’t involve crashes with other vehicles, but traumas like rollovers, hitting embankments or trees, or simply leaving the roadway.

However, there is an even more basic way to make driving twice as safe, reducing your risk of being involved in a fatal crash by 50%. And unlike the previous set of tips, which were mainly focused on driving more defensively to reduce your risks of a single vehicle crash, this tip reduces both your risks of single- and multi-vehicle crash involvement. What is it?

You’re half as likely to be involved in a fatal crash if you can reduce your annual mileage by 50%.

This might sound like a tip so obvious that it doesn’t merit mention, but with the stakes as high as they are (driving is literally a matter of life and death for the approximately 90 people who die every single day of the year on our roads in the US), it’s worth considering and trying to implement. To put it simply, the less you drive, the less likely you are to be involved in fatal crashes with other vehicles or with your vehicle in isolation. This holds true no matter how safe of a vehicle you’re already driving. It holds true no matter how good (i.e., safe) of a driver you already are. It holds true no matter how many miles you already are (or aren’t) driving. It holds true no matter which state or country you’re driving in. It’s pretty fool proof.

If only it were that easy! I have to drive for work / family / daily life reasons!

I’m not saying we should all go and sell our cars now, or at least park them and throw away the keys. I understand the realities of life; we have jobs and families and daily chores and expectations to meet. The kids have school and soccer practice and band and all kinds of things (although hopefully not too many things). Life is busy. But at the same time, every mile counts, and they can either count for us or against us. It’s worth taking a look at what “normal” mileage is in the US, and comparing it to your personal figures to see if you can’t reduce it a little.

How many miles does the average American drive, and does it vary by age or gender?

These are great questions. Per the Federal Highway Administration, which tracks annual mileage across age and gender lines, male drivers drive more than female drivers at every stage of life, while the most mileage-heavy stages of life for men and women respectively are at 35-54 (18.858 miles) and 20-34 (12,004 miles). Overall, men average approximately 16,500 annual miles while women average approximately 10,142 miles. The national average across all ages and genders is around 13,500 miles per year. What does this mean for you?

Well, perhaps you’re between 20 and 54, as are the majority of (though certainly not all) readers of this blog. If you’re a man in this age range, you’re probably driving between 18,000 and 19,000 miles per year. That’s an astonishing 51 miles a day. If you can cut your miles in half, you’ve just cut your risk of dying in a car crash in half. If you’re a woman in this age range, you’re probably driving between 11,500 and 12,000 miles a year, or just over 32 miles a day. This is far better than what most men in these age ranges are driving, but if you can cut this in half, again, you’ve just reduced your risk of death by 50% without buying a safer vehicle or changing anything about the way you drive (although I heartily recommend making such changes too!).

Are annual miles why women are less likely to be involved in fatal crashes than men across all stages of life?

I’ve written before about how women are safer drivers than men at all stages of life. On the surface, when combining that information with the chart above, it might be easy to presume that women die less in crashes simply because they drive less. While that is true in absolute numbers, the truth is that women also have a lower rate of involvement in fatal crashes per mile traveled. In other words, if a man and a woman drive 10,000 miles per year, the woman will still be less likely to be involved in a fatal crash. This is because female drivers are more likely to make use of the safe driving techniques I’ve written about earlier, or at least less likely to make use of unsafe driving techniques. It all adds up, for better or for worse.

If you can combine the ethos of driving safely with that of driving as little as possible, you eventually get to a point where your odds of dying in a car crash drop to effectively zero. On the way there, you’ll be much safer than almost every other driver on the road, and that much more likely to keep your family safe and make it back to your loved ones every day. These are things worth striving for.

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How to cut your risk of dying in a car crash by 50% overnight

November 1, 2016 Mike

You can cut your odds of dying in a car crash by 50% by following a few basic steps 100% of the time.

When it comes to driving safely, there are really only two basic approaches you can take as an individual: one is to use safer vehicles (e.g., driving safer cars with side airbags, ESC, and winter tires in cold weather), and the other is to drive more safely (e.g., by following the speed limit or avoiding rural roads). Or as I’ve put it elsewhere, you can either avoid driving entirely, drive as little as possible, or drive the safest vehicles you can justify. It’s really that simple. But let’s go into the details, because it’s never that simple.

I talk a lot about safe vehicle choices because for most people, choosing a safer vehicle is easier than adjusting driving habits. However, it’s important to note that you can get the same safety benefits from changing how you interact with the roadway and your vehicle as you do from the vehicle you choose. In fact, you’ve probably heard it before, but the most important driver safety feature is the part between your ears. Now this doesn’t mean that you should go off and ride a motorcycle or drive a car made in the 80s (or older) as long as you do so carefully; I always advocate at least a few basic safety features no matter how careful you are as a driver (e.g., Safety Level 1, or ideally Safety Level 2). However, once you’ve got a reasonably safe vehicle, it’s worth taking a long look at how and why you drive, as the more behavioral changes you can put into place, the safer you and your loved ones will be whenever you get into a vehicle.

What’s most important from my end as a driver?

Looking at the 80 / 20 rule, there are a few big changes you can make as a driver that make the lion’s share of a difference in your safety as a driver and in the safety of your passengers. Driving sober (i.e., without a drop of alcohol or other drugs in your body), driving restrained (and making sure every other occupant is also restrained), driving without a cell phone (not even the hands-free kind), and driving at or below the speed limit 100% of the time will automatically make you a safer driver than 99% of other drivers on the road, because 99% of other drivers on the road break at least one of those rules every single time they drive. You’ll be a safer driver than nearly everyone else on the road because speeding, alcohol or drugs, distracted driving, or a lack of seat belt use are implicated in nearly every fatal crash on our roadways. If you aren’t doing any of these things, you’re far ahead of the game.

But what about everyone else on the road?

Now, you can’t control what other drivers are doing, and given the information above, it doesn’t sound like they’re doing good things at all. But you can control what you’re doing in your car and how safely you’re driving. And that goes much, much farther than you might think. In fact, a full 50% of fatal crashes occur due to drivers leaving the roadway and crashing completely by themselves without any other vehicles involved. What does this mean for a careful driver?

It means that if you can follow the instructions above, along with a few others (e.g., using winter tires whenever temperatures are under 40 degrees), your chances of being involved in a single vehicle crash drop to almost zero. I won’t tell you that you’re guaranteed not to crash, because that’s not a guarantee any human can make. But I can tell you that your odds of being involved in a fatal crash by driving off the road or into a tree or telephone pole or house or cement barrier or off a bridge will be effectively zero, because it’s very hard to kill yourself while driving if you’re alert, attentive, sober, buckled in, and following the speed limit every single time you drive.

What about animals in the road, or medical conditions, or falling trees, or…?

It’s true that there are always random and tragic deaths that affect people each year while driving, even in single vehicle crash situations. I once profiled a case where an unfortunate lady was killed by a loose trailer tire from a passing vehicle in a different lane that happened to bounce her way and crashed through her windshield. The only way such a death could have been prevented (besides by the driver not being in that precise and unfortunate location at that instant) would have been by the trailer tire having been affixed more securely to its axle. However, statistically, these kinds of events are quite rare, and while it’s impossible to insure against every possibility, the steps above do still come into play for reducing your risks of death while driving in a wide range of situations.

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Two Big Reasons Why Lower Horsepower is Safer for Teen Drivers

October 21, 2016 Mike

High horsepower and teenage drivers don't mix well. — High horsepower and teenage drivers don’t mix well.

It’s tough shopping for a car for your teenage drivers. You want them to be safe, of course, but you also don’t want to spend a fortune, especially since college costs are just around the corner (or are already part of your monthly expenses). I’ve written guides for safe and affordable vehicles for young drivers in the past, and there are simply more issues to consider than when buying vehicles for safer drivers with larger budgets. Even organizations like the IIHS don’t necessarily steer parents in the right directions.

It’s easy to overlook details, as a result, when trying to make the right decisions. Airbags? Of course! ESC? Definitely! Good crash scores? Yes! But there’s a bit more to the picture when it comes to choosing a safe vehicle for your teen driver. One of the most significant areas parents tend to overlook, in my experience, is the horsepower of the vehicles they’re considering for their children. And this can be a rather big area to overlook. Let’s dive into why.

Why is it important to consider horsepower when looking at cars for teen drivers? Aren’t safety features more important?

It’s absolutely true that safety features like crash scores, airbags (front and side), and ESC should be your first priorities when looking for vehicles for teen drivers; these features should also be your priorities when looking for personal or family vehicles at any stage of life. However, horsepower is also particularly important when choosing vehicles for teen drivers because it’s rather significantly linked to the way your teens are likely to drive once alone behind the wheel. To put it simply, vehicles with higher horsepower tend to encourage more dangerous styles of driving, while vehicles with lower horsepower tend to encourage safer driving, either directly or by not encoruaging more dangerous driving. Let’s look at two specific ways lower horsepower can do your teen drivers a favor.

1. Teens are less likely to speed in vehicles with less horsepower

Speeding is implicated in roughly one out of every three fatal crashes, per the NHTSA, although the actual figures are likely much higher, given the near universal prevalence of speeding in our society. However, given that teenagers are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes per mile traveled than any other group of drivers until age 80, and that male teenage drivers are more than 4x as likely to be involved in fatal crashes than male drivers between 30 and 70 (and almost 6x as likely as female drivers between 30 and 70), it’s in our best interest as parents to do whatever we can to reduce the risks of our teenage drivers making bad decisions. This is particularly the case if we’re parents of male teenage drivers, who are statistically the most dangerous drivers on the road.

High horsepower is seductive to teenage drivers for the same reasons it seduces older drivers; it’s exciting and makes driving seem more fun, more exciting, more like a video game. Our culture glorifies speed and adrenaline and excitement; we equivocate the ability to drive quickly with the ability to free ourselves from the worries of society, blaze new paths, and experience all manner of adventure. It’s a big part of why muscle cars are popular among middle-aged and senior adults; speed symbolizes vitality and youth and vigor and power. Unfortunately, these false associations also attract teenagers, who have less life experience than older adults and are less likely to be able to restrain themselves from chasing the thrills that come with speeding.

Vehicles with less horsepower, on the other hand, simply aren’t exciting. Yes, it’s possible to break the speed limit in any vehicle, but we’re much less likely to do it, or at least do it grievously, in vehicles that aren’t designed to do so easily and with impunity.

2. They’re also less likely to engage in risky driving (like aggressive lane-changing, racing with friends or strangers, and red-light running)

The second and more broad reason to avoid vehicles with high horsepower for ones with low horsepower is that vehicles with less horsepower are less likely to encourage teenagers to engage in a wide range of risky behaviors, including aggressive lane changes, street-racing (whether with friends or with strangers), and running red lights.

The reasons behind this are related to the reasons behind why teens (and all drivers) are more likely to speed when behind the wheels of more powerful vehicles and more likely to drive prudently when piloting normally powered vehicles: the power is seductive. Many studies have shown people are more likely to display aggressive behaviors when driving or commuting than when walking or cycling, and statistically speaking, we’re more likely to act as if we’re characters in action movies (changing lanes rapidly, revving our engines at stop lights, trying to beat stale yellows) when we think we’ve got the muscle beneath the hood to do so. If this doesn’t sound like something you’d do, that’s great! But if you’ve got a teenage driver–and a male one in particular–he or she is unlikely to have as much temperance as you do, and it’s highly likely that you didn’t have as much restraint as you currently do when you were 16, 17, 18, or 19.

Cars with less power are driven more practically and less aggressively, which makes them and their drivers safer.

But I heard higher horsepower was safer, since it allows you to merge safely / avoid errant vehicles / etc…?

This is a frequently-given reason for choosing vehicles with a bit of “get up and go!” as a good friend of mine calls it. However, the truth is that virtually any vehicle made since 2000 onward has more than enough power to merge safely, and you don’t need 250 horsepower to make it into a lane or to avoid a vehicle that has swerved into yours. What you are more likely to do with that extra horsepower is speed or drive recklessly, which is more likely to lead to a collision or a loss of control. Don’t believe the hype; pretty much anything that comes with an EPA sticker has enough power to get you where you need to go or keep up with traffic. If you’re wanting more power just so you can”have it when you need it”, keep in mind that your teenager isn’t going to be nearly as good of a judge of “when s/he needs it” as you are.

What do you recommend as a horsepower limit for vehicles teenagers are likely to drive?

That’s a great question. I hesitate to give a specific number, as different vehicles react differently with different amounts of weight and engine capacities. However, more broadly, I’d recommend choosing the smallest cylinder option available within a given vehicle, and the lowest horsepower trim level available if you have the choice. Again, whatever you choose will have more than enough power to help you travel wherever you’re going safely. The smaller engines and lower horsepower trims, as an aside, will almost always result in better fuel economy too, as the engines won’t be excessively large. And if you’re considering two otherwise similar vehicles, be sure to take a look at the horsepower figures; what you find may surprise you, and may make a large difference in how safe of a driver your teen is when s/he gets the keys.

If pressed for a number, I’d recommend trying to keep the horsepower to 200 or lower, or at least as low as possible past 200 if you can’t get below 200. In my most recent comparison of safe vehicles for teen drivers, for example, that would mean choosing the Galant or Jetta over the Passat or TL; it would mean choosing the CR-V over the Outlander, and the Yaris over the Forte.

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How To Survive a Head-On Collision – Slow Down (to below 43mph)!

October 14, 2016 Mike

To survive a head-on collision, your odds are best below 43 mph.

Lately, I’ve been writing a lot about Vision Zero. It’s an initiative a number of wealthy countries around the world are following to different degrees with the overall goal of reducing auto fatalities in their populations. One of the central tenets of Vision Zero is the belief that roadways need to be designed to protect different kinds of travelers from coming into contact with each other above particular speeds. For example, if you’re an unprotected traveler, like a pedestrian, any roadways you use that might put you in contact with cars (e.g., cross-walks) should not have traffic traveling any faster than 20 mph. These guidelines also exist for individuals traveling in cars who might come into contact with other cars, which is precisely what this article is about.

What can we do to increase our odds of surviving a head-on collision?

To put it simply, if you want to survive a head-on collision, the best way to do so is to avoid getting into one to begin with. But if that’s not possible, the second best way to survive is to drive as slowly as possible prior to the collision–ideally, no higher than 43 mph. More broadly, since collisions are difficult to predict but the roadways we choose are far more likely to be under our control, I’d avoid driving on any undivided roadway with a posted speed limit above 40 mph.

What makes 43 mph the limit for survivability?

The specific figure comes from research related to Vision Zero, such as a Monash University study in 1999. The researchers came up with a series of guidelines related to the highest amounts of violence, or crash forces, the human body could tolerate under certain assumptions (e.g., well-designed vehicles with crash structures, or passengers wearing seat belts) without risks of serious or fatal injuries. For vehicle occupants traveling on roads where frontal impacts were a possibility between cars, they recommended a long term speed limit no higher than 70 kph, or approximately 43 mph.

But I know / heard of someone who survived a head on at 50/60/80 mph!

While it’s certainly possible to survive frontal crashes at higher speeds, the odds of doing so drop exponentially above this speed. After analyzing dozens of crashes over the last several years, I’ve found survivors of head-on collisions in a range of speeds, but the rate of fatalities has always risen dramatically with the speeds of the collisions, while the rate of survival has always dropped as quickly. Remember that a crash with a 50% survival rate suggests that if you and someone you love are sitting in the front row of a vehicle, statistically speaking, either you or your loved one isn’t going to survive such a collision. Those aren’t the kinds of odds you want on your side each time you drive.

How do other safety organizations (i.e., the IIHS) feel about this figure?

While the IIHS doesn’t specifically advocate 43 mph speed limits, they have repeatedly advocated slower speed limits and bemoaned the rising tide of speed limits throughout the country. Additionally, one of the most direct endorsements of a 43 mph limit for head-on collision survivability comes from the IIHS’ frontal moderate- and small-overlap crash tests. Both of these tests are conducted at 40 mph, and are designed to simulate the effects of a vehicle crashing into a vehicle of equal mass traveling in the opposite direction at 40 mph. They’ve noted that these kinds of crashes are already considered to be “severe” ones, and that tests are not conducted at higher speeds due to the impracticality of designing vehicles capable of protecting occupants at higher speeds.

Does this mean my car / SUV / minivan / pickup is only designed to protect my family at up to 40 mph?

In a head-on collision, yes. This isn’t because car manufacturers don’t care much about keeping people safe at high speeds or that organizations like the NHTSA and IIHS don’t care about things that happen at higher speeds; again, it’s simply a reflection of how much additional energy vehicles carry at higher speeds, and how difficult it is to design vehicles to protect individuals above those speeds because of how energy increases with speed. But once again, when you hear that your vehicle comes with a 5-star frontal crash rating or a “good” frontal impact score (whether head-on, moderately overlapping, or small overlapping), it’s essential to remember that this only applies for crashes at 40 mph, and with vehicles that weigh as much as or less than your vehicle. At higher speeds, there are no guarantees.

How much more severe is a crash at 70 mph than one at 40 mph?

It’s important to remember that the forces in a collision quadruple when speeds are doubled, rather than simply doubling, because kinetic energy increases with the square of velocity. To put this in practical terms, a crash at 80 mph carries 4x the energy as a crash at 40 mph, even though the speed is only 2x as fast. As noted above, your vehicle is only designed to protect you from a crash with an equal or lighter mass vehicle at 40 mph. Let’s use that as a baseline, where your vehicle handles 100% of tested forces while allowing you to survive the crash with minimal injury. At these speeds, your odds of survival in a vehicle with a “good” frontal score are close to (not quite, but close to) 100%.

A 70 mph crash carries more than 2x as energy, or precisely 306% as much energy as the 40 mph crash (100% of tested forces). In my observations from studying crashes, once you get up to around 300% of the forces your vehicle was designed to handle, your odds of survival drop down to around 25%. To put it another way, in a head-on crash at 70 mph involving 2 vehicles with 4 people in the front seats, only 1 of the 4 people involved is likely to survive.

This is the risk we run every time we drive at 70 mph in an environment with a possibility of head-on collisions (i.e., every undivided highway in the country).

If crashes are this much more dangerous above 40 or 43 mph, then why do we have speed limits at 55, 65, or 75 mph?

That’s a great question. A basic answer is because our society (as well as virtually every other around the world) prioritizes speed over safety when it comes to auto travel. Additionally, most people aren’t aware of the dramatically increased risks that come from higher speed limits until it’s too late (you can’t advocate from beyond the grave). However, it’s important to remember, too, that speed limits beyond 43 mph can be tolerated with low risks of severe injury or death as long as the risks of head-on collisions are eliminated, which is possible through good road design. The challenge is to bring that good road design to a country that’s plagued with poor road design.

What do you mean by poor road design?

Poor road design, per Vision Zero, in this context refers to roadways with an opportunity for head-on collisions that permit or encourage vehicles to travel beyond 43 mph. In other words, two-lane undivided highways with 50, 55, or 60 mph (or higher!) speed limits are roadways that shouldn’t exist, but do throughout the US (and globe).

What does this mean for my family and I? Do we have to drive at 43 mph everywhere?

Not necessarily. But as noted earlier, I’d certainly try to avoid driving on any undivided roadway with a posted speed limit above 40 mph. The risk increases exponentially with the speed of traffic. And given the propensity of people to speed in this country, a road with a 40 mph PSL will most likely already be dealing with 45-50 mph traffic. You can do the math for higher speeds.

If you’re about to get into a crash, the best thing you can do in the three seconds beforehand are to slow down as much as you possibly can. If you have the luxury of choosing your roadway, stay away from undivided roads with speed limits above 40 mph. Your life could literally depend on it.

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The Safest Used Cars for High School and College Teens in 2017

October 1, 2016 Mike

How do you keep your grown-up kids safe?

If you’re a parent of young children, car safety can be complicated in a number of ways (how long do you rear-face? how long do you keep them in a 5-seat harness? when do you stop using boosters? when can they sit in the front seat?). However, you’ve got one big advantage, and that’s that you typically are the one responsible for driving your children everywhere. But this inevitably changes once your kids become old enough to drive if you gift them a vehicle or if they buy their own. What then?

Your worries don’t end once they’re old enough to strap themselves in and turn the key. In fact, in a way, you’ve just traded one set of worries for another; this is particularly the case if you’ve got a male teen (or young adult) driver, given their extremely high propensity for fatal crashes compared to female teen drivers, or all other drivers in general. What can you do to keep your high-school or college-aged kids (because they’re always your kids, no matter how old they get) safe?

That’s precisely what this article’s about. I’m not going to go into general safe driving tips (like avoiding speeding, driving on the right, using DRLs, etc) here; those topics are well worth pursuing and applying, but this article is focused on safe and affordable choices for high school- and college-aged drivers.

What do you define as safe and affordable when it comes to a good car for a teen / high-school / college driver?

As I’ve noted in previous articles on teen drivers, I’m not a fan of the theory that the least experienced drivers (teens, high-schoolers, and college students) should be placed in the heaviest and largest vehicles to keep them safe at the expense of every other driver, pedestrian, and child who shares the roadway. This approach ultimately makes the roads less safe for everyone, and research has shown certain small cars can be much safer than much larger ones; what matters most is the behavior of the driver.

Instead, I recommend only small cars and SUVs and mid-sized cars and completely leave out mid-sized and larger SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks, which are unnecessary for most teenagers and high schoolers (who ideally should either be driving with parents or driving alone, and certainly shouldn’t be driving with other teens). Even college students don’t need vehicles capable of hauling thousands of pounds of anything or more than 4 passengers at a time (and ideally, they shouldn’t be carrying more than one passenger).

Furthermore, all of my recommendations are around the median price parents are spending ($5,327), and all of my recommendations include vehicles with side airbags, ESC, and good frontal and good side crash scores. Unlike in my previous teen safety ranking, I removed vehicles with only acceptable side crash test scores, as more vehicles have since become available within the budget limit with good side scores. And because fuel isn’t free, I also looked at the fuel economy of each vehicle on the list and provided the numbers below. Keep in mind that these are the pre-adjusted (pre-2008) EPA numbers with older vehicles; what you actually get will be less if you drive more aggressively. All prices are based on private party costs in September 2016 in the Chicago metro area.

The safest used cars for teens, high schoolers, and college students in 2016

Mini cars

2010+ Toyota Yaris

The Yaris is a good choice for teens on a budget who prioritize fuel economy; the EPA ratings are 29/35 city/highway in the automatic and 29/36 in the manual. From 2010 onward, ESC is standard, while side airbags are standard from 2009 onward. As with every vehicle on this list, it has both good frontal and side crash test scores. It also has the lowest horsepower on the list at 106, which makes it the safest teen choice, since cars that don’t come with a “fast” reputation are less likely to be used for speeding.

Small cars

2011+ Kia Forte

The Forte is the only small (compact) car to make the list of safe choices for teen drivers in 2016. It boasts good front and side crash test scores, side airbags, and ESC standard. It’s rated at up to 26/36 city/highway, making it one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles on this list. I’m also a fan of its low top horsepower (173); when it comes to teen drivers, the lower that figure, the better. And additionally, it’s one of the few vehicles on this list with a good roof strength rating and an existing small overlap rating, even though that’s unfortunately marginal.

Small SUVs

2005+ Honda CR-V

The CR-V, along with the Yaris, is one of the two most reliable vehicles on this list, and is highly recommended for parents who would like vehicles their teens can pay to repair due to low maintenance costs. It comes with ESC and side airbags as standard features from 2005 onward. It has both good frontal and side crash test scores and was rated at 23/29 in the automatic FWD. It’s also one of very few vehicles on the list with an AWD option. I’m also a fan of the lower horsepower at 160 hp.

2007+ Mitsubishi Outlander

The Outlander is one of only two small SUVs to make the cut, and it’s another good choice for teens. Originally rated at up to 20/27 mpg city/highway, it’s also fuel friendly. An additional safety bonus is the fact that it comes with an acceptable roof strength rating; most of the vehicles on this list weren’t evaluated for roof strength by the IIHS due to their age. Horsepower is higher than I’d like at 220 hp, but no vehicle is perfect.

Mid-sized cars

2004+ Acura TL

The TL is essentially a fancy and slightly larger Honda Civic, which says good things about its reliability. It’s also one of the best mid-sized cars on the list when it comes to fuel economy, with old EPA ratings as high as 20/30 city/highway in the manual and 20/28 city/highway in the automatic transmission. A significant downside is the large amount of horsepower; 270 hp is more than any teenager needs on the road.

2005+ Audi A4

The A4 is a souped up Volkswagen, which means it’s going to be expensive to maintain. However, it’s loaded with safety features and was rated at up to 24/32 city/highway, meaning you’ll save a bit at the pump (although you’ll then pay it back by having to fill up with premium…). The main negatives to the A4 beside the cost of maintaining them (which is huge) is the horsepower; they’re available with up to 255 hp, which is far more than any teen driver needs.

2006+ Volkswagen Passat

The Passat is another of several VW’s to make the list, which speaks well of VW’s commitment to safety (if not to their resale value). The Passat is essentially a less fancy and slightly larger A4, and is one of the largest vehicles I’m willing to recommend. Mileage is good at up to 23/32 city/highway in the manuals and up to 22/31 city/highway in the automatics in old EPA ratings. Downsides include maintenance and the availability of up to 280 horsepower, which is by far too much. It’s also one of the few vehicles on this list to come with a good roof score.

2009+ Volkswagen Jetta

The Jetta sedan and wagon didn’t make my affordability list last year, but have since fallen into the 5k price range, partially due to VW’s recent emissions scandals. It’s not going to be a very cheap vehicle to maintain compared to many others on the list, but it’s solid from the safety standpoint. As with its larger sibling the Passat, it comes with a good roof strength score. Mileage-wise, it’s at the top of the list, with up to 30/41 city/highway available, although this will require the diesel. Horsepower isn’t terribly high, topping out at 200 hp (remember: less is better).

2009+ Chevrolet Malibu

The Malibu is the first domestic vehicle to make the list, but holds its own well, coming in with a good roof strength score and up to 22/33 city/highway miles per gallon. Horsepower is the downside here, as it tops out at 252 hp, which, along with the size of the Malibu, could encourage more risk-taking behavior (though it’s still better than the truly excessive amounts in the Passat and TL).

2010+ Ford Fusion

The Fusion also represents the domestics well with a good roof strength score as well as all of the other safety features common to vehicles on this list. Mileage is even better than that in the Malibu, with up to 23/34 city/highway available in the “S” configuration. Horsepower, again, is the main downside, topping out at 263 horses.

2010+ Mitsubishi Galant

Finally, the Galant makes an appearance, although I add it with hesitation since Mitsubishi no longer makes vehicles in the US and appears to be retreating from the US market, which could make spare parts more difficult to find in the future. That said, the Galant is a strong vehicle, and offers an acceptable roof score and up to 21/30 city/highway miles per gallon. Horsepower is also a wonderfully restrained 160 hp.

So would you recommend avoiding high horsepower vehicles for my teen driver, Mike?

Absolutely. While not every teen will use a vehicle with lots of horsepower irresponsibly, if it’s a risk you can avoid, it’s worth avoiding. This is especially the case if your child is male, since teenage boys are far more likely to engage in risky behaviors while driving than female teen drivers, which is reflected in the significantly higher driver death rates for male teens than for female teens.

I hope you’ve found this article helpful and informative as a parent interested in finding safe and affordable transportation for you high-school or college-aged child. We can’t protect them from everything, but we can certainly keep them safer without going into debt or making the roads less safe for others in our communities.

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35,000 Americans will die this year on the road. You don't have to be one of them. A car seat and car safety blog to promote best practices for families.