In case you’re planning to buy your teen a car for Christmas this year, or you’re
trying to decide which of your existing cars might be the best one for her to drive,
recognize that the car that provides the greatest amount of safety should be your
first choice.
To determine which vehicles avoid and withstand crashes best rely on the Top
Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This nonprofit
organization, which is funded by auto insurers, tests and rates the safety of vehicles
based on their performance during several critical tests.
Now the IIHS is not the organization that provides the safety rating on a car’s
window sticker where you also see fuel ratings, list of features and price. Those
ratings are provided by a federal agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA). So you can’t rely on that data to determine which cars
earned the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick + rating which was introduced
in 2013 to recognize models with the best crash protection. Go here to get a
complete list of the 2013 Top Safety Picks and Top Safety Picks + winners by
type/size.
If you’re looking for a 2014 model, those safety picks will be announced in December;
so watch for updates. See Officer Poer’s article below for more details on what it
takes to achieve these designations.
Thank you for doing everything you can to promote teen driver safety.
Wishing you safe and happy holidays!
Charlie
PS Please feel free to call our office at 215-885-2200 to get more information on how to teach your teen to be a safe driver.
