Sport Utility Vehicles May Not Be the Right Ride for Teens

9 October 2000

Bigger Not Always Better for Teen Drivers

LOS ANGELES - Don't let their size fool you. Sport Utility Vehicles may appear bigger and safer than the average sedan, but when paired with a teenage driver, the combination could prove fatal.

Lack of experience is a teen driver's main handicap. Some young drivers exhibit poor judgement behind the wheel due to inexperience or immaturity. And while an SUV's rugged looks may appeal to many teens, statistics show that young drivers are at exceptionally high risk of being involved in a traffic accident:


--  Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S.
    teenagers, accounting for 36 percent of all deaths among people
    between the ages of 15 and 17.

--  In 1997, more than 5,700 teenagers died in motor vehicle crashes,
    and many more were left severely and permanently injured by
    crashes.

--  In 1999, 179 people died in car accidents involving drivers
    between the ages of 15 and 17, according to the California Highway
    Patrol.

    Getting a driver's license is an exciting rite of passage for teens, but for many parents it is cause for concern. So choosing a safe vehicle for a new driver to operate may help worried parents rest a little easier. Teenagers should drive vehicles that reduce their chances of a crash and offer state-of-the-art protection in case they do crash, since the first years teenagers spend as drivers are very risky.

    Sport Utility Vehicles were popularized less than a decade ago, and they have fast become the vehicles of choice for many Americans. And while most consumers cite safety as the main reason for purchasing an SUV, bigger isn't necessarily better when it comes to highway safety.

    But many new sport utility owners often fail to recognize the dramatic difference between driving the larger, heavier SUV and the family sedan. Being unfamiliar with the feel of driving an SUV can not only increase the risk of rollover, but it can also pose an increased risk to those with whom they share the road. In fatal crashes, SUVs are twice as likely to have rolled over than other cars.

    Earlier this year, two people were killed and eight others injured when a 16-year-old boy lost control of the SUV he was driving and plowed into a crowd of pedestrians outside a school carnival in Pasadena. It was one of several lethal crashes that has occurred involving teens and SUVs in California.

    Parents and their teenaged children should make safety a top priority as they select their first car, said Candysse Miller, executive director of the Insurance Information Network of California.

    "Just because a vehicle is bigger than others does not make it safer for a young driver," Miller said. "Sport Utility Vehicles are less stable than cars because of their higher centers of gravity. Abrupt steering maneuvers -- the kind that often occur when drivers over-correct an error or make a reckless maneuver -- can cause rollovers."

    SUVs can also cost more to insure because of the liability risk they pose, the high cost of their repairs and their popularity with thieves, Miller said.

    The Insurance Information Network of California is a non-profit, non-lobbying communications organization supported by the property/casualty insurance industry. IINC has spokespeople in both Northern and Southern California to discuss this and other insurance issues. To schedule an interview, call 800/397-1679.