Clockwise from top left: The Kia Optima, Chevrolet Malibu, Hyundai Tuscon and Toyota Venza are Insurance Institute for Highway Safety top safety picks. Ford
If your back-to-school shopping list includes a set of wheels for your teen, remember that for years, experts have stressed that large, slow and boring is best.
Although smaller modern cars now employ sophisticated technology and high-strength steel into their designs, the laws of physics still apply. Here's some advice for choosing a car that is, above all, safe for the teen you love.
Easy does it
A concerned mom recently asked me which was better for her 16-year-old son: a 4-year-old BMW 335i or a new Volkswagen GTI. It's doubtful that her kid appreciated my advice to skip both of those and get a used Volvo S60 without the turbo.
Both the 335i and the GTI are powerful machines, and even the most responsible high school students can fall victim to a momentary lapse of judgment. When they do, better they be in a four-cylinder Toyota Camry than a V-8-equipped Ford Mustang GT.
The Ford Fusion is an IIHS top safety pick and has had the same safety features for several years.
Is bigger better?
Two schools of thought apply to vehicle size. The first is that smaller automobiles are easier to drive. In addition, both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have determined that the newest versions of the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus are significantly better at protecting occupants in a crash than similar-sized cars 10 years older.
However, inexperienced drivers are less likely to skillfully maneuver out of harm's way, and larger vehicles provide better passive protection during impact. High fuel prices mean larger cars can be bargains these days, offsetting the cost of gas.
Russ Rader, vice president of communications for the IIHS, says the organization recommends buying a slightly used midsize sedan -- such as the Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu or Honda Accord -- rather than a smaller new vehicle around the same price.
Buy modern
Newer vehicles benefit from a blizzard of recent technology, making them both actively and passively safer. Front air bags are routine, but side torso and curtain units began appearing broadly only within the past five years.
Continuing education
Practice may not make perfect, but it does make for safer driving. Don't forget to train your teen driver with a good school and lots of road miles.
Electronic stability control (ESC) systems are high-tech guardian angels that keep cars in control during evasive maneuvers and inclement weather. They prevent accidents and are required on all 2012 vehicles. An IIHS study found that ESC reduces fatal single-vehicle crashes by up to 50 percent. Do not buy an SUV without ESC for an inexperienced driver.
Cars to consider
The IIHS' top safety picks include the Malibu, Fusion, Kia Optima, Toyota Avalon and Volkswagen Jetta. Recommended SUVs and crossovers are the Ford Edge, Honda Element, Hyundai Tucson, Dodge Journey and Toyota Venza.
If you can't afford a new car for your teen, use those suggestions as guidelines for a used pick. The Malibu, Fusion, Avalon, Edge, Element and Journey have been made with the same protective platforms for three to four years.
Other safe choices include the Ford Taurus, Taurus X and Flex; Nissan Altima; Subaru Forester, Legacy and Outback; Toyota Camry, Highlander and RAV4; Chevy Impala and Equinox; Chrysler 300; and Volvo S60, S80, V70 and XC60.
Simply put, large, slow and boring still applies -- just remember to factor in high-tech to those qualities. If your teens complain that their cars are dull, just be glad they're around to be heard.
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