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Passengers Jeopardize Teen Drivers' Safety
There are many scary moments when raising kids such as the first time we leave them alone with a baby sitter, their first day at school and the first time they ride their bikes or get sick. But without a doubt, the scariest moment of all is when our children — teenagers — start driving.
There's so much attention paid to the dangers of texting and driving, yet we overlook the most dangerous distraction of all for teen drivers: friends riding in the car. Studies show that teens driving with peer passengers have a significantly higher risk for fatal crashes than those who drive alone; putting a teen in the passenger's seat of a young driver's car doubles the risk of a fatal crash, while adding three or more teen passengers to a car quadruples the risk. A recent study by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm expands upon that initial research.
The most astounding findings were:
- Teens who are most likely to drive with multiple passengers considered themselves to be "thrill-seekers" and perceived their parents as not setting rules or monitoring their whereabouts.
- Only 10% of teens correctly view passengers as potentially hazardous.
- Amongst teens who said they were distracted by something inside the car before they crashed, 71% of males and 47% of females said they were distracted directly by their passengers' actions.
While advancing technology is providing us with new tools to help keep our teen drivers safe, none address the serious problem that additional passengers can cause.
I used to own a Volvo C30. It could sense if someone was sitting in any of the seats and would notify me, the driver, if the passengers didn't have their seat belts on. It seems logical that a carmaker could combine that occupancy sensor technology with current systems like Hyundai's Blue Link Essentials program or Ford's MyKey — both allow parents to set limits on teen drivers — to notify parents if their teen driver has passengers in the car, or even go a step further to prevent the car from being driven if there are passengers in it.
My husband and I are lucky to still be a few years away from our kids starting to drive (our oldest is 11 going on 16), and we're hopeful that this and many additional tools will be available as manufacturers strive to make all cars safer but especially those driven by teenagers.
What systems have you and your family implemented to keep your teen drivers safe? Do you have a driving contract with your teen? Do you use aftermarket technology or GPS-enabled smartphone applications to monitor your teen's driving habits? Tell us in the comment section below.
Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Honda Pilot
The 2012 Honda Pilot is a roomy three-row crossover that works well for families, according to Cars.com Family contributor Carrie Kim. She wasn’t thrilled by its boxy looks but was willing to overlook them because of the Pilot’s versatility. This family hauler can carry eight passengers, fit three child-safety seats across its second row and has a two-tiered cargo area behind the third-row seats.
Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week
Despite being a bit player in the automotive landscape, the compact luxury 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is one of our most read reviews … again. That attention probably has to do with the SUVs looks, which make it look more like a concept car than actual production vehicle, says Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder. Continue reading about the Evoque, and our other top read reviews of the week, with the links below:
1. 2011 Toyota Camry
2. 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
3. 2012 Audi A6
4. 2012 Honda CR-V
5. 2012 Honda Pilot
6. 2012 Buick Verano
7. 2012 Subaru Impreza
8. 2012 Volkswagen Passat
9. 2012 Hyundai Genesis
10. 2012 Hyundai Elantra
This Week's Most-Read Stories
While consumers' interest in the plug-in electric vehicles has reached an all-time high, buyers still have some issues with the Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Volt, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Car shoppers said the Leaf was unattractive in the survey; they also said the Volt was too expensive. Read more about that, and our other top stories of the week, with the links below:
1. Shoppers Say Chevy Volt Expensive, Nissan Leaf Ugly in Study
2. 2013 Ford Escape Goes Green, Literally
3. Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: January 2012
4. Woman Wins Suit Against Honda
5. 2013 Honda Accord Sedan Shrinks, Gets Plug-in Hybrid Model
Most-Watched Video Reviews of the Week
Tomorrow, at Super Bowl XLVI, Cars.com will air its fifth Super Bowl ad, this time titled "Confident You." The 30-second spot is scheduled to air toward the end of the second quarter. If you can't wait to see it, you can get a sneak peek of the ad (above). Also make sure to check out our other top videos of the week, below:
1. Cars.com Super Bowl Commercial
2. 2012 PickupTrucks.com Midsize Shootout
3. MotorWeek 2011 Lotus Evora S
4. MotorWeek $37,000 3-Row Utility Shootout
5. MotorWeek 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
Silverado, the Official Truck of the Apocalypse
Although most of us know by now that Nicolas Cage and the Mayans got it wrong and the world probably won't end in 2012, Chevrolet wants you to know that the apocalypse is no match for its Silverado pickup.
GM is really pushing its bow-tie brand this year; this 60 second ad is one of five spots that Chevrolet is debuting on Super Bowl Sunday. Watch them all here: http://www.youtube.com/user/Chevrolet/home.
Cars.com News Briefs: Feb. 3, 2012
Here's what we have our eye on today:
- On the heels of a free-trade agreement between the U.S. and South Korea, Ford plans to expand its sales in the country by 50% to about 6,000 vehicles in 2012, the Detroit News reports. Sales will include the 2013 Fusion and Escape, as well as the Explorer, Taurus and diesel Focus.
- Toyota estimates it will sell 9.58 million vehicles globally in 2012, up 21% over 2011’s 7.95 million, Bloomberg News reports. The automaker is betting big on a sales lift from its redesigned Camry, whose U.S. sales improved 55.9% in January, as well as more versions of its Prius hybrid.
- Chrysler will trade Eminem for Clint Eastwood in its Super Bowl commercial this Sunday, The Wall Street Journal says. Last year's two-minute spot won an Emmy; its follow-up will be the same length, sources told the publication, with the venerable Eastwood "giving the country a pep talk."
- At the White House's behest, import automakers transported executives and fuel-efficient cars, including fuel-cell vehicles from Honda and Mercedes-Benz, to the nation's capital for President Barack Obama's tour of the Washington Auto Show. But Bloomberg reports Obama paid little notice, spending most of his half-hour tour alongside a Dodge Dart, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford C-Max and Chevrolet Malibu, among other cars from Detroit automakers. Michael Stanton, head of the Association of Global Automakers, told Bloomberg his member automakers "were just terribly disappointed" at the apparent snub.
- Automakers and car dealers added 15,000 of January's 243,000 jobs, the Labor Department reports. Today's better-than-expected report dropped unemployment to 8.3%, the lowest since February 2009, notes Bloomberg.
- Chrysler will trade Eminem for Clint Eastwood in its Super Bowl commercial this Sunday, The Wall Street Journal says (3). Last year’s two-minute spot (4) won an Emmy; its follow-up will be the same length, sources told the publication, with the venerable Eastwood “giving the country a pep talk.”
Recall Alert: 2011 Toyota RAV4
Toyota is recalling 427 Toyota RAV4s from the 2011 model year because of a defect involving the side curtain airbags, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The affected vehicles, which were manufactured from Nov. 24 through Dec. 19, 2011, do not use the correct propellant that helps to initiate the expansion of the airbag. As a result, one or both side curtain airbags might not deploy in an accident, increasing the risk of injury.
Toyota will start notifying owners in March, and dealerships will replace one or each of the side curtain airbags, if necessary, free of charge. Owners can call Toyota at 800-331-4331 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.
Recall Alert: 2008-10 Maserati GranTurismo and GranTurismo Convertible
Maserati has issued a recall for 1,768 GranTurismos and GranTurismo convertibles from the 2008-10 model years because of a faulty lamp assembly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In the affected vehicles, which were manufactured from June 2008 to March 2010, both the taillights and brake light could fail because of the faulty lamp assembly. This could lead to reduced vehicle visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Maserati will notify owners this month, and dealers will inspect and replace affected rear taillamp assemblies free of charge.
For more info, owners can call Maserati at 201-816-2600 or NHTSA’s hotline at 888-327-4236.
Recall Alert: 2012 Honda Accord and Crosstour
Honda is recalling 347 Accord sedans and Crosstour hatchbacks to address airbag issues, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports.
In certain vehicles, the side curtain airbags for the driver and front passenger may have a faulty inflator. In the event of an accident, the affected airbags will not deploy, increasing the risk of passenger injury.
Honda will begin notifying owners on Feb. 10, and the affected airbags will be replaced for free. Owners can call Honda at 800-999-1009 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.
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