Buying Your Teen Their First Car? Here’s Your Parent’s Manual for a Safe and Happy Rite of Passage

(?)

We understand your responsibility as a parent to ensure your teen is feeling safe on the road, so get them the protection they need and deserve.

(?)

Your teen has completed driver’s education, passed the state licensing test and is ready to hit the open road. As a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that the car your teen drives is safe!

Read on for tips on finding the right car for your precious driver!

Having a vehicle is not a birthright but a privilege.  Your teen will likely care about image, color and technology more than reliability or fuel economy.  It will be your responsibility, parent, to think about those, and crash-test ratings, auto insurance, price points, and, of course, the car’s overall safety ratings.

Whether your teen is using the vehicle to get to and from their summer job, or they’ve graduated high school and need their own ride for college, it will be you who ultimately decides which vehicle to buy, so here’s what you should keep in mind:

Safety.

Whether buying new or used, you should choose a vehicle with as many safety features as your budget allows.  Advanced safety features that can back up your inexperienced driver are important features to consider like electronic stability control, automatic emergency breaking and blind stop warning systems.

Speed.

If your teen is looking at innovative sports cars that can accelerate from 0-to-60 miles per hour, pump the brakes.  Consumer Reports warns that buying a sporty car might give your child an urge to race others on the road. 

Take the “Goldilocks approach” and buy a car that’s not too fast, not too slow.  It may not be the coolest car to your teen, but they’ll be safer until they’ve gained more experience as a driver.

Speed is one of the leading causes of teen-related motor vehicle accidents across the nation!

Connectivity.

While you search for the best reliability ratings, safety features and price, your teenager will likely care more about whether they can connect their smartphone to their car.

The time between Memorial Day and Labor Day — essentially summer break — is known as the 100 Deadliest Days, as it pertains to teen drivers.  During this time, teen-related accidents peak by nearly 14% more than the rest of the year. 

Distracted driving is impaired driving, so by purchasing a vehicle that allows Bluetooth technology, teens are less likely to pick up their phone while driving.  It won’t mitigate the opportunity entirely, but teaching good driving etiquette and being a model driver for your teen certainly can help, too.

Assurance.

Once you have found a safe, reliable car for your teen, it will also be up to you to find the best auto insurance to protect your child and others.  Auto insurance can be expensive, especially for teen drivers or parents of young drivers. 

Preferred Mutual is committed to providing the best protection for you and your family with a host of coverage options to fit your budget and your teen’s lifestyle.

As a Preferred policyholder, adding your teen to your existing (or new) auto policy might actually help save you some money, too!  We offer bundling discounts and Preferred Mutual offers a Good Student Discount – for full-time high school or college students who maintain a “B” average or better (available in New York and Massachusetts only).

From learning to drive in your vehicle to driving their very own, Preferred Mutual understands your responsibility as a parent to ensure your teen is feeling safe on the road, so get them the protection they need and deserve.

Live in the moment. Prepare for the future.  That’s living assured.