Many teens will return to school this year and hope to drive onto campus in a new vehicle. Because car crashes are the number one cause of death for teens nationwide, getting the right car for a novice driver is an important decision for parents. Our Automotive Research Center has developed a list of criteria and vehicles to assist parents and their teens.

When asked by parents: “What is the safest car to get my new teen driver?” our answer is: a mid-size car with a four-cylinder engine, automatic transmission, Antilock Braking System (ABS) and high safety crash test scores.

“A mid-size car is big enough to protect a novice driver in a crash, but small enough to be manageable for a novice driver,” said the Automotive Research Center Manager Steve Mazor.  “The four-cylinder engine limits acceleration capabilities and generally provides better fuel economy. Automatic transmissions are easier to drive and allow the novice to focus on the road as well as steering, acceleration and braking. Electronic stability control helps prevent roll-overs.”

The Automotive Research Center (ARC) developed a list of two groups of new cars that meet these criteria. Crash test scores are from the AAA/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration publication “Buying a Safer Car-2009” soon to be available at AAA offices or www.safercar.gov.

The ARC selected vehicles that scored the maximum 5 stars for frontal collisions and side impacts, as well as cars that scored 5 stars on all collision tests except they had at least 4 stars for rear side impact. All cars also scored at least 4 stars in the roll-over evaluation.

Group 1: 5 stars on all crash tests (at least 4 stars on rollover), four-cylinder automatic

Group 2: 5 stars on all tests except 4 stars for rear occupant side impact (at least 4 stars on rollover, four-cylinder automatic unless otherwise specified.