Not safer for everyone else.

AntiNerd: Not safer for everyone else.

Dead for Tax Reasons: does taping a large sign on the rear window that renders the rearview mirror useless increase or decrease the likelihood of an accident?

You mean the makeup mirror?

Doesn't matter what car you get a teenager, if they text while driving, don't pay attention, or don't observe proper speeds; it's all pretty much for naught.

Also, have you seen some of those big SUVs' crash test ratings? Not exactly impressive.

One of my best friends in high school drove a convertible Pontiac Bonneville 455. We felt very safe in it, especially the time we got 14 people inside.

DarwiOdrade: [homepage.mac.com image 503x198]

My first car. Rear-ended a Pinto with it. Boy was the other driver pissed (tee-hee).

/csb

Did it blow up?

Yeah, but the NHTSA has never done crash test ratings on the Suburban or Tahoe because they want people to drive the little death-traps like Prius and Smart Cars.

How is this at all 'surprising'?
1. A farking tank is pretty damn safe.
2. The crash test ratings are widely known.
3. SUVs skew more expensive and newer and thus are far more likely to feature newer safety gear.
4. THE STUDY EXPLICITLY CALLED OUT THE INCREASED SAFETY FEATURES AS BEING THE BEST EXPLANATION.

FFS.
"NEWS FLASH: the safest vehicles are the ones with the best safety rating and most safety features."

DarwiOdrade: [homepage.mac.com image 503x198]

My first car. Rear-ended a Pinto with it. Boy was the other driver pissed (tee-hee).

/csb

Not enough AMCs on the road anymore. This was my first car Link (new window)

Sold it for $150 when I joined the Army. I decided it would be neat to buy and restore one for my son when he got old enough to drive, and as it turns out the cheapest one I found was for 3 grand somewhere in Oklahoma. The boy got a Ford Ranger...

/Miss my Matador
//Good times in that car

Yeah putting up a sign blocking the rear view mirror to warn other drivers is SO totally going to make the road a safer place.

dukwbutter: Yeah, but the NHTSA has never done crash test ratings on the Suburban or Tahoe because they want people to drive the little death-traps like Prius and Smart Cars.

What? The Suburban is rated four of five stars despite a good chance of rollover in an accident.


// damn reality's liberal bias

Screw this article, scroll down a bit.

"Girls of the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show"

And I'm out.

lordargent: Screw this article, scroll down a bit.

"Girls of the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show"

And I'm out.

Well can ya put it back in? I'm trying to eat lunch here.

I beg to differ. The only way to make a vehicle safe for a teenager is to remove the starter relay, and which point any vehicle model will do.

Done in two.

Now that I'm well beyond the legal aged required for driving, I rather wish that age be raised to something like 25.

DarwiOdrade: [homepage.mac.com image 503x198]

My first car. Rear-ended a Pinto with it. Boy was the other driver pissed (tee-hee).

/csb

My first car I drove was my mom's ...but it was the station wagon version.

Disagrees

RsquaredW: dukwbutter: Yeah, but the NHTSA has never done crash test ratings on the Suburban or Tahoe because they want people to drive the little death-traps like Prius and Smart Cars.

What? The Suburban is rated four of five stars despite a good chance of rollover in an accident.


// damn reality's liberal bias


OK. So the Tahoe has never been crash test rated. Damned liberal bias.

My dad always told me that bigger cars are made to protect you in an accident while the smaller ones are made to just fold up small enough to fit into a coffin.

lordargent: Screw this article, scroll down a bit.

"Girls of the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show"

And I'm out.

Freakin' slideshow.

/still, worth it
//hey, there are repeats near the end!

first car was 1965 Impala (no image hosting from work, sorry)

Loved that sled. It got through snow covered Illinois roads when the work truck (some early 50's era Dodge utility body) couldn't. When the brakes went out, took out a stopsign and concrete land pin, only broke a headlight. Didn't even dent the bumper.

I miss that car *this much*

tag should be "Obvious"

What a crappy article. It specifically mentions that the reason "big SUVs" are supposedly safer is that SUVs on the road tend to be newer than 2006 and have increased safety features come standard.
But yeah it's totally because they're humungous, rollover-prone penis-compensator and not at all because of the safety features.

The best car for a teenager...or, honestly...after driving a lot of cars...I can say "damn near the best car ever made" is a Volvo 240. At least, if you're going for "useful, cheap to drive, handles decent (yes, they actually do), and is VERY safe."

The poster should also read

"The teenager was taught to drive by a parent that doesn't realize the rear window needs to be seen out of for the rear view mirror to work."

So I can pepper spray them in selfdefense, right?

What's a TEEN AGER?

Heavy cars can't accelerate or corner. Takes away the dream of being a boy racer.

Ever since the ford Expedition came out, automakers also realized the high center of gravity on SUV's cause them to tip over easily, so they have been aggressively lowering the CG on their SUV's for a while now. The end result being "crossover utility vehicles".

/Owns an RX-8
//Touched bumpers with an asian lady in a parking lot once
///no other accidents since.

Friend drove a 70's LTD at one time. It was a land yacht that could carry 10 if you didn't opt for the truck as a set. He had his brakes fail and rear ended a school bus. One headlight and some bumper pull was all it took to bring the car back to normal. 8mpg sucked though

DarwiOdrade: [homepage.mac.com image 503x198]

My first car. Rear-ended a Pinto with it. Boy was the other driver pissed (tee-hee).

/csb

Mine was a 67 Fury III. I crumpled my buddies Porchse 914 with it. He was pretty pissed himself.

dukwbutter: RsquaredW: dukwbutter: Yeah, but the NHTSA has never done crash test ratings on the Suburban or Tahoe because they want people to drive the little death-traps like Prius and Smart Cars.

What? The Suburban is rated four of five stars despite a good chance of rollover in an accident.


// damn reality's liberal bias


OK. So the Tahoe has never been crash test rated. Damned liberal bias.

fluffy2097: Heavy cars can't accelerate or corner. Takes away the dream of being a boy racer.

Ever since the ford Expedition came out, automakers also realized the high center of gravity on SUV's cause them to tip over easily, so they have been aggressively lowering the CG on their SUV's for a while now. The end result being "crossover utility vehicles".

/Owns an RX-8
//Touched bumpers with an asian lady in a parking lot once
///no other accidents since.

The racial background is important when one considers touching rear ends with another

Kraftwerk Orange: OK. So the Tahoe has never been crash test rated. Damned liberal bias.

This must be new. I swear I searched for this a while back and could never find it for the Tahoe.

You're calling an SUV a tank? Kids these days---harumph!

My first car was a '73 Buick LeSabre---now that was a tank!

/I didn't get a HaRumph outta that guy.....

Hand-me-down '70 Pontiac Catalina 400 for first car, here. Back half was all bondo. I feared no one.

First truck i had, drove it from when i was 16 till i traded it in with 300k miles when i was 24. still miss that truck..

Got into an accident with it in college, tboned a woman who pulled out in front of me , freaked out and slammed on breaks in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic, i hit her, pushed her car 37 feet, broke both axles on the car, the front left tire of my truck ended up on her hood and the front right through her windshield and pushed the steering wheel down into her lap. Thankfully everyone was ok. the only damage to my truck was it bent the bumper into the tire, so dad brought his truck and we hooked a chain to the bumper and bent it back off of the tire and drove it away that way.

Good truck - still miss you blue.

My first vehicle was a 1950 Ford F1 out of a junk yard...had to get it running before I got my license (at 15). Unless my son buys his own, his first will be an '80 CJ7 that is waiting to be repaired in my garage. He has to get it running....

/evil dad.

The sign doesn't say the teenager is the actual driver.

Just an inexperienced teenager inside.

Just send her to my bunk and I'll take care of it.

My parents had great driving lessons. One I recall most was my dad taking me to the back parking lot of a mall after it had rained pretty hard. We did all sorts of maneuvers, speeding, slamming on the brakes and feeling what it's like to have the belt keep you in when everything else wants to you keep going forward, serpentines, you name it. We also did all this on dry pavement for comparison but I remember just how out of control I felt when it was on a wet surface. After each demonstration he'd have me do the same thing, all at the same speeds. It was scary and comforting at the same time that I was actually learning how to handle a vehicle in emergency situations. I also thought it was cool that a cop saw us, but after my dad explaining what he was trying to teach me, he let without giving him a ticket.

/csb to me at least
//I was several years away from my learners at the time