“I want a car by [this brand] for my son or daughter because they’re so safe!” Yeah, we’ve heard that line before. Parents want safe cars for their teen driver and that makes sense. But just because you see a lot of ads that say a brand or vehicle model is safe doesn’t mean that’s the brand or model to buy, nor does it mean a “safe” car will stop your teen driver from causing an accident themselves. No, if you want to get your teen driver behind the wheel of a car and safety is your priority, what you should be doing is looking into a car with a Teen Driver program, like the one offered by Chevrolet.

The Facts

Cars today have many safety requirements that they meet to insure a safe vehicle, and some manufacturers go beyond the requirements by installing dual-stage advanced airbag systems, building cars as tough as a steel cage, and making advanced safety features available.

Not only do most cars come with the option of advanced safety features, but thanks to the NHTSA and the IIHS, it is easier for consumers to research and find out which vehicles are safest and how. Just recently, the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu received a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS, and the 2017 Chevrolet Volt received a Top Safety Pick + rating. Plus, Chevrolet has many OnStar systems to assist with emergency situations and, the cherry on top, Teen Driver software.

But before we explain what Teen Driver software is, it’s important to understand why it is so important for TEEN drivers, so here are some quick facts. Teen drivers are more likely to speed than older drivers; one reason is due to lack of experience, and the other is that sense of “freedom.” In addition,, 55 percent of teens won’t even wear seatbelts if someone else is driving, and over 90 percent of teens listen to loud music when on the road.

Chevrolet Teen Driver

Chevrolet has Teen Driver software available in many of their models. It’s currently offered in the Bolt EV, Camaro, Colorado, Cruze, Malibu, Silverado, Equinox, Suburban, Tahoe, and Malibu. This software is used not only to monitor teen driving habits, but to control their rebellious outbursts. For instance, parents can (1) set the stereo system to mute the audio unless all seats are buckled, (2) set a speed limit, (3) present warnings when the driver is not driving with safety in mind, like when tailgating, and (4) automatically activate advanced safety features and disable the feature to deactivate them.

Chevrolet Teen Driver just takes a few minutes to set up via Chevrolet MyLink, a four-digit passcode, and registering the key that the teen will use. The key will let the car know who’s driving and if the teen driver software should be activated. Did we mention the Teen Driver software supplies the parents with report cards that can’t be deleted or doctored by the teen? Every week, the report card will inform the parents of:

- Distance driven

- Maximum speed reached

- Overspeed warnings

- Use of advanced features (if installed)

- Tailgating alerts

- And more

Forbes Magazine recently had their own experience with Chevrolet Teen Driver through the eyes of a teenager, and the results were surprising. It doesn’t just curb speed demon rebellion, it also teaches good driving habits through repetition.

“There was a warning [that] would come up each time I was tailgating, and it would flash [and] beep … this actually encouraged me to increase my distance from the car in front from that point forward … in the first two or three days, you start to become more aware …” - Patrick, from Forbes Magazine Article

Do you want a car that claims to be safe, or do you want a Chevrolet with teen driver software so you know your teen driver is safe? Check out our inventory for the vehicles mentioned above.

Photo Source/Copyright: YouTube; Media Gamut Motoring