Source - http://www.theautochannel.com/
By - Press Release
Category - Accommodation In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita
Getting behind the wheel of your first car is
a memorable event, especially for younger people. Yet inexperience brings
higher risk, so new teen drivers need all the safety advantages they can
get, and the latest poll from PEMCO Insurance shows that newly licensed
teens often drive older vehicles short of safety features that lessen
injuries in a crash.
PEMCO set out to explore the premise that when teens get their first
car, those vehicles often tend to be older models, which are more
affordable, and smaller models, which get better mileage and cost less to
fuel. That's a concern because older cars lack safety improvements, and the
laws of physics prove that smaller cars suffer most when they collide with
larger vehicles.
According to the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll, about one-third of
respondents under age 55 said their first car was more than 10 years old
when they became drivers. Respondents of all ages in Portland, Ore., and
Western Washington said their first cars were about 8 years old, and
Eastern Washington drivers reported an average first-car age of nine
years.
About two-thirds of respondents in Washington and Portland report that
their parents owned the first car they drove and more than half said their
parents paid for the insurance on their teens' first car.
"While older cars are often more affordable for parents and teens, our
poll confirms the trend we suspected – parents opt for older and
sometimes smaller cars for their teens when a newer car would be a safer
option," said PEMCO spokesperson Jon Osterberg.
The poll shows that just 4 percent of drivers between 35 and 54 said
their first car included a safety feature critical by today's standards
– driver-side front airbags. Airbags didn't become standard in a
majority of new models until 1994, according to Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety (IIHS) data.
Baby-boomer drivers were more likely to say their first cars were newer
– more than half of those 55 and older said their first car was less
than 10 years old, and almost one in three said their first car was less
than 5 years old, the poll revealed.
However, those drivers may also remember that their first car lacked
important safety features for their passengers. While front-seat lap and
shoulder belts became a federal standard in 1968, backseat lap and shoulder
seatbelts weren't standard in vehicles until 1990. According to PEMCO's
poll, 36 percent of drivers 55 and older said their first car had lap
seatbelts without shoulder harnesses, and very few – just 3 percent
– said their first car offered shoulder harnesses in addition to lap
belts.
While there's no doubt automakers have made significant advances in
safety over the decades, chances are even a 10-year-old vehicle today would
lack newer recommended safety features such as electronic stability control
and driver head-protecting side airbags.
In 2003, less than 25 percent of vehicles offered side airbags as a
standard feature, and electronic stability control wasn't available in more
than 60 percent of vehicle models, according to data from IIHS.
Beyond a vehicle's age, the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) reports
that the size of car driven by teens is one of the most significant
contributors to their likelihood to crash, when compared to the
auto-accident rates of older drivers.
The HLDI study indicates that while small cars tend to be popular among
teen drivers, they're also more dangerous than larger vehicles because a
shorter wheelbase can be less forgiving with driving mistakes. Still,
nearly 30 percent of teens in the U.S. drive one of the three types of
vehicles – small two-door cars, and mini and small four-door cars
– that have the highest claim frequency among all drivers, according
to HLDI.
HLDI's report also shows that teens are two times more likely to crash a
small car than their adult counterparts.
According to the PEMCO poll, the most popular first cars among
Washington and Portland drivers have been American made, with more than
half of the poll's 55-and-older drivers saying they drove a Ford or
Chevrolet as their first vehicle as a teen.
"Among those who told us the make of their first car, Chevys were far
and away the most common," Osterberg said. "About a third of those who
recalled the make of their first car drove a Chevy, with Impalas and Bel
Airs – combined – taking the top spot."
But through the years, Toyotas and Hondas have increased in popularity
among younger drivers at the expense of Chevrolet, in particular. About 17
percent of drivers under 35 said they drove a Toyota and another 13 percent
said their first car was a Honda, while about 10 percent of those younger
drivers opted for a Chevrolet.
"There are many resources for teens and parents to help you choose a
first car that's safe, reliable, and affordable," Osterberg added.
"Websites that compare crash-test results and safety ratings across makes
and models are often a great place to start. Check out IIHS's crash-test
results or 5-Star Safety Ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration."
