When shopping a car for a teen driverSafety is often a top concern for parents, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a solid resource. Unfortunately, some stores argue that publishing accident statistics for small cars is the IIHS’s way of saying that parents should buy their child an Escalade. Here’s why it’s a lousy conclusion.
In August, IIHS released a report highlighting the dangers of teenagers driving smaller, older cars.
More than a quarter of teen drivers killed in crashes between 2013-17 were driving micro, mini or small cars, and nearly two-thirds were 6-15 year olds, indicating that almost unchanged from 2008-12. In both periods, adults were seriously injured in crashes in newer, larger vehicles more often than teenagers.
Vehicle mileage data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey also shows that teenagers are more likely to drive older cars than adults, although the survey does not include size information. vehicle size. The survey found that teenagers logged more than half of their mileage on vehicles over the age of 11, compared with less than 30% in adults.
IIHS research scientist Rebecca West, lead author of the paper, said: “It’s understandable that parents don’t want to shell out large sums for their child’s first car and they may not realize how much safer a newer, bigger car is.” . “Small vehicles are not well protected in a crash, and older vehicles are less likely to be equipped with the necessary safety equipment.”
Of course, anyone with a basic understanding of physics or common sense will understand this. In fact, when two objects collide, the one with the greater mass wins. To provide parents with some guidance, IIHS and Consumer Reports cooperate and gather together list of 65 new and used cars (the latter, all under $20,000) is considered “safe” based on crash test results and available safety equipment.
If you scroll the list, you will note that IIHS and CR really stick with reasonably sized proposals. The biggest vehicles you’ll find on the list are full-size sedans (like Toyota Avalon), midsize SUV (like Toyota Highlander), or small trucks (such as The Honda Odyssey is surprisingly big).
G/O Media may receive a commission
20% off
Ettitude – 20% Off
20% off bundled bamboo bedding
The brand’s proprietary CleanBamboo is a soft, breathable fabric; their signature sateen is cool to the touch.
But somehow, StreetsBlogUSA interpreted this as the IIHS encourages parents to buy “Megacars for minors”. The photo accompanying the StreetsBlog article says it all: Clearly, they’re getting the impression that most parents are oligarchs, paying six figures to get their kids in. a Mercedes G-Wagen.
According to IIHS data showing a higher mortality rate among small car drivers, StreetBlogUSA get the impression that following your beginner’s advice to buy a safe car will naturally lead to the death of pedestrians and cyclists.
“[Small] Cars, however, are actually among the the safest on the road… for pedestrians and cyclists. Studies have long shown that megacars are 2-3 times more likely to kill pedestrians than sedans in the event of a crash, and today’s SUVs are astounding. eight many times more likely to kill a child who is not behind the wheel”.
First of all, the “Megacar” is not really a car. Second, the SUVs and full-size pickup trucks that StreetsBlog mentions never even appear on the IIHS recommendation list.
StreetsBlog points out that the IIHS has “restricted” recommending parents choose larger cars, but in their eyes the IIHS hasn’t gone far enough:
“However, Young hesitated to withdraw the Institute’s recommendation, emphasizing that the negative effects of putting children in monster trucks could be offset by other policies…”.
None of the scores in the IIHS report nor Consumer Reports the post is a “Monster Truck” ever suggested. In fact, not a single pickup truck made the list. The largest vehicle is a minivan.
America clearly has a problem with Pedestrians and cyclists killed on our way. And most of it has to do with proliferation of the SUVs and large trucks. There’s a way we can reduce teen driver deaths and Pedestrian mortality: better driver training. However, just because parents choose a safer vehicle for their child’s first car, doesn’t mean they are indifferent to the safety of those around them. We don’t need to turn this into a war between us and us.
