Research shows that motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens (Center for Disease Control, 2002) . One third of all 16-year-old licensed drivers will be involved in a motor vehicle crash (Fatality Analysis Reporting System - FARS- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2005). More than 450,000 teen passengers and drivers were injured and more than 5,500 died as a result of vehicle crashes in 2005 and 32% of all teen driving deaths are alcohol related (FARS 2005). And also teens are less likely than other drivers to wear seat belts.

 

Yes. The reality is really shocking. Driver inexperience and maturity level behind the wheel are the two factors that lead to this shocking reality. With thousands of teens being injured or killed on the roads, teen driving safety has become an issue of national priority and a top concern for parents. To help parents protect new teen drivers, Chrysler Group and leading national safety organizations have developed a research-based teen driving safety initiative called Road Ready Teens.

 

The Road Ready Teens program guides parents on how to incorporate proven, lifesaving strategies into their teens’ beginning driving stages. An innovative, home-based program, the Road Ready Teens provides parents with the tips and tools — in ways teens can relate — to ease their teen into driving. Meanwhile, research also shows that when parents take an active role in their teens' driving education and set driving guidelines, their teens' chances of being in an accident can come down by up to one-third.

 

Based on research and principles advocated by the prominent safety organizations, Road Ready Teens' tips and tools help teens gain the necessary driving experience and maturity behind the wheel before tackling high-risk driving situations. The recommendations of the Road Ready Teens have been built upon laws on the books in most states, as well as on the skills and principles teens often learn in driving classes.

 

Parents can implement the Road Ready Teens program in their homes by going through the recommendations, setting the guidelines and personalizing the Parent-Teen Road Rules Contract with their teens. The teens are required to play Road Ready Streetwise Version 2.0, a state-of-the-art video game that helps them better understand the risks they face in early driving years.

 

The parents have to talk about the privilege of driving and the risks that come with being behind the wheel. This will help their teens to become safer drivers and recognize the risks other drivers pose. The understanding of these risks is aimed at making the teens safer drivers.

 

Download Chrysler Get Road Ready for Teens PDF  

With small cars becoming more and more popular, the automakers are leaving no stone unturned to improve the safety of small cars. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an insurance industry funded center for evaluation of crash protection which recently completed the final series of tests on 2009 small cars, said, overall for the year, front crash test results across the two classes were generally good. As many as 11 of 21 new models also recorded good ratings for side protection. More vehicles have side airbags as standard equipment. However, some new models still have delivered mixed performances in crash tests, according to the IIHS.

 

The Suzuki Motor Corporation's SX4 and the Toyota Motor Company's Matrix (along with its twin, Pontiac Vibe made by General Motors Corp) bagged the highest rating of 'good' for side crash protection. Only the Ford Motor Company's Focus earned a good rating in rear crashes as measured by the quality of head and neck restraints.

 

Though the automotive sales for the year decreased by 16.3 per cent, the small car sales are up by 1.2 percent. Interestingly, Japanese manufacturers dominate the class that has become more popular with consumers seeking greater fuel efficiency. The IIHS said many automakers are yet to pay close attention to rear-crash protection.  

Ford Motor Company has developed a new feature to restrain speed limit to within 80 miles per hour for teenage drivers. A key with a chip in it, developed by Ford, will keep the car within 80 miles per hour, as well as limit the audio level of the car’s stereo. Every year, more than 5,000 teenagers between the ages of 16 to 19 are killed in road accidents from speeding.

 

In 2005, 4,544 teen’s aged 16 to 19, died of injuries caused by car crashes; nearly 400,000 motor vehicle occupants in this same age group sustained non-fatal injuries in the same year. Overall, in 2005, teenagers who represent 10 percent of the U.S. population were responsible for 12 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths.

 

Even though young people between the ages of 15-24 represented just 14% of the U.S. population; they accounted for 30% ($19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28% ($7 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females( Insurance Institute for Highway Safety-Fatality facts: teenagers 2005).

 

Studies also reveal that most teens do not use their seatbelts, a fact that puts them at high risk in the event of an accident. Fords new "MyKey", allows parents to trigger off a six second alarm every minute, until the seatbelts are secured.

 

Most parents of teenage drivers who have issues with speeding and inexperience behind the wheel, consider Ford’s "MyKey", as a good idea that was going to save a lot of lives in the long run. The "MyKey" feature will be available as standard on the 2010 Ford Focus model and ultimately, all of Ford’s new models will be available with the feature as they are updated.  

GM will be recalling 2006-2008 Chevrolet HHRs, highlighting a faulty storage bin latch. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that the lid on the HHR’s instrument panel storage bin, opened up during a crash, thus causing a safety hazard.

 

The NHTSA has stringent guidelines for passenger safety, and the faulty latch in the HHR, violates safety regulations mandatory for automakers, which dictate that passengers are protected from injuries caused by interior surfaces in the event of a crash.

 

GM will be sending a latch reinforcement kit to all HHR owners who are affected by the recall, so they can remedy this defect. HHR owners can install this kit themselves or have an HHR dealer install it for them.

 

While General Motors’ latest recall does not have any major safety repercussions, and no injuries have been reported from the faulty latch, almost 300,000 Chevy HHRs will be involved in this latest development.

 

Earlier this year, more than 180,000 2006-2008 Chevrolet HHR cars were recalled for non-compliance with Federal crash safety regulations.  

General Motors Corporation announced that some of its 2009 models will include optional radios along with USB ports for media devices such as an iPod or an MP3 player.

 

Customers will be able to play music and charge their media devices without the need for a separate car adapter. USB ports enabling flash drives are convenient, which means that customers don’t need music CDs for audio entertainment. Customers can also browse through the music player’s library by operating the radio controls and view it on the electronic display. The USB port will be similar to those used on personal computers.

 

Currently, the Chevrolet Cobalt, HHR and the Pontiac G5 models, offer optional radios. The Pontiac G6 and Solstice, the Saturn Sky and Aura, and the Chevrolet Malibu are expected to have radios by the middle of 2008 model year. For over two years now, General Motors Corp has offered auxiliary input jacks for MP3 players, but these inputs could not recharge devices nor use radio controls. Many automakers including Ford have offered USB ports in their vehicles for more than a year.