Parents should think twice about purchasing an older car for their teen in the hopes of saving money. A recent study shows that older cars are much more dangerous than newer models and can increase your child’s risk of being injured, or worse killed, in an auto accident.

A study published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) compared the deaths of teens to those of middle aged adults. The results give parents something to think about.

The study found that almost half of teen drivers who died in car accidents were driving a vehicle that was at least a decade old. This is cause for concern because many manufacturers started making important safety features like electronic stability control and side-airbags standard less than a decade ago.

That means that many teens driving older vehicles are not protected by important safety features that save thousands of lives every year.

Stability control has been required in vehicles since 2012 and can cut single-car fatalities in half. Unfortunately, the study found that only one out of ten deceased teens was driving a car equipped with electronic stability control.

Side airbags and curtain airbags are important features that protect passengers, but they did not become widespread in vehicles until 2009 or 2010.

Another trend noted in the study is that 30 percent of the deceased teens were driving a small or mini car. The death rate in vehicles smaller than 3,000 pounds is 75 percent higher than that of vehicles weighing more than 4,000. IIHS and other safety groups advocate that teens should drive larger sedans or wagons, which have been shown to be the safest vehicle options.

Teens are already three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than adults, so why not provide your child with a vehicle that has all of the latest safety features and can help prevent injuries in the event of a crash?

Contact the auto accident attorneys at Goldberg Finnegan if your teen is injured in an auto accident. An injury lawyer in Silver Spring from our law firm can help you get the compensation you deserve.