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Parents, buy your kids a shiny new volvo

Roger Cook

by Roger Cook

27 Dec 05:50am

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Filed under: Cars, Children, Road Safety

30 comments

MANY of us look back with fondness at our first car. An old, clapped-out, bomb that only just got you from A to B is the memory that comes to mind for most.

Nah, mate, the brakes are fine!

But as the Christmas holidays approach and our kids take to the road, is giving the kids the keys to the family’s oldest car good enough?

As Australia’s key road safety advisory body, the National Road Safety Council thinks its time we give our kids the keys to our Australasian New Car Assessment Program 5 star-rated car parked in the garage.

Getting kids into safer cars just makes sense.

More young adults die on our roads each year than any other age group. While making up only 16 per cent of the adult population, drivers aged 17 to 25 account for a quarter of all driver deaths.

If we all drove safer cars, the impact on the road toll would be dramatic. Research by the Monash University Accident Research Centre estimated that if people bought the safest car in their desired class, road trauma involving light passenger vehicles could be reduced by 26 per cent.significantly.

In real terms, it That could mean up to 300 fewer road deaths and 6000 fewer serious injuries from road crashes each year.

But getting access to safer cars is easier said than done. By world standards, Australia’s car fleet is positively elderly - an average of 10 years of age.

However, while about 85 per cent of new cars rated are 4 or 5 star according to the ANCAP rating system, the truth is that many of us aren’t in the market for new cars.

The facts about many older cars and safety are stark. The risk of death or serious injury in a crash in a vehicle made in 1987 is about double that of a vehicle made in 2007.

That’s why the National Road Safety Council has called for government fleets and also large corporate fleets to change their vehicle purchasing policies, to specify 5 star vehicles.

This simple policy change would not only make government and corporate employees safer, but long term would have a huge knock-on effect in Australia’s second car fleet - where many of us are buying for our kids.

A more modern Australian car fleet means our kids are driving cars with more active and passive safety features that will reduce both the impact and severity of crashes.

If you’re passionate about getting kids into safer cars, now is the time to have your say.

The National Road Safety Council’s 5 star car initiative for national fleets is one of the recommendations contained in the Australian Transport Council’s (ATC’s) draft National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020 (NRSS), released this month by the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, the Hon Catherine King MP.

The 10-week public consultation period for the draft strategy is a once in a decade chance for you to help chart a course for road safety over the next decade.

The National Road Safety Council believes that road deaths and injuries are unacceptable. It’s a monumental social problem that we can all do something about.

Now’s the chance to speak up and have your say. It might just save your child’s life.

Submissions on the draft NRSS close on 11 February 2011. Go to www.infrastructure.gov.au to have your say.

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30 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Dan says:

      06:55am | 27/12/10

      I’m guessing the author was born into wealth and has no children. While it the article makes sense superficially, it avoids several practical realities.

      1. New car insurance for children is prohibitively expensive.
      2. Children generally do not respect their possessions, so even without an accident you can bet the car will be worthless inside six months.
      3. Most accidents are minor and they will almost certainly have a minor accident in their first six months, which for a new car would be hugely expensive.

      The practical solution is to actually teach children how to drive properly. Parents focus too much on how to operate the machine and not enough on teaching kids how to observe what is going on around them, how to read other drivers, how to assess risks, and how to react when things go wrong.

      Reply

    • Faz says:

      09:25am | 27/12/10

      @ Dan

      It’s not clear to me that the author was necessarily talking a new Volvo. My daughter and her partner bought an older Volvo in good condition and as solid as, for $700. That’s probably not what the author had in mind either, but it’d be better than just about anything else you could buy for under $1K.

      In terms of teaching, I’d suggest money well spent is put towards a good instructor for at least some lessons. Parents may be good drivers, but they’re not necessarily good teachers and they may even unintentionally teach them bad habits.

    • Jenni says:

      10:38am | 27/12/10

      @Faz “It’s not clear to me that the author was necessarily talking a new Volvo.”

      Ummm ... perhaps it is clear in the *title* of the piece?? “Parents, buy your kids a shiny new volvo.” That seems pretty clear to me wink

    • Steph says:

      01:01pm | 27/12/10

      Faz, last year I went through the driving lessons and the only thing I learned from them is how to pass your driving test. Really, that’s all they care about. If they get as many students passing through the driving system and passing their test first time as they can, then they’ve got a shing reputation to call more customers to them. “Pass first time or your second attempt is free!” is often advertised for a driving school. With that tagline to uphold, all they’re focussed on is getting their pupils through the test and passing first time round. The teachers will take you through the possible routes the test grader will take you, handy tips for ways not to lose points (eg. Look in the mirrors at this time and make sure he’s watching you, so he knows you checked the mirror and won’t mark you down) etc. They’re not going to be as dedicated to teaching your child to drive as you think they are.

      I wouldn’t trust a professional instructor to train my children to drive with a ten foot pole. Pass their test, for sure, but when their eye is on the reputation then no way.

    • Red says:

      07:58am | 28/12/10

      Dan this is because most parents are not good teachers.
      Unless you’re a professional driver with a training qualification, you won’t be teaching my kids. Luckily enough I am one of these smile

      Entrusting the teaching of our kids to people who can’t teach (average parents) is fraught with danger. Too many times I see Learners driving below the speed limit in the right lane, turning left into the right lane, and staring rigidly ahead instead of regularly checking mirrors. These things indicate that the supervisor/instructor has no clue - guaranteed to then raise a bad driver.

      My kids will have their first 5 lessons with an instructor, and THEN I will supervise them practicing what the instructor has taught, rather than teach them anything myself. Then they will have 5 more instructor lessons, then loads of practice with me.

      Sure it costs money, but if you pay peanuts you get monkeys - the sort of monkeys who can cause crashes which kill people.

      If you can’t afford to learn to drive properly, don’t learn to drive, or have the kids use their part time job earnings for the privilege of driving (what parent pays their kids’ insurance???). That’s life - we can’t all afford all we want. It’s like insurance. If you can’t afford it, you shouldn’t be driving.

    • thatmosis says:

      07:17am | 27/12/10

      My view is that if the kids want a car they get off their fat arses and work for one. Give your kids a car, no way. Thats what they have come to expect, everything handed to them on a plate. its time Parents grew a set and told their kids to buy their own. The screams will be almost human but its worth it in the end to see kids actually doing something for themselves without hanging on mummy and daddy’s coat tails.

      Reply

    • Spoiled brats says:

      05:10pm | 27/12/10

      Too right! All of the little brats I went to school with who drove their parent’s shiny Audis, BMWs and Mercedes trashed, dented and scratched the cars. Or wrote them off. And most didn’t give a stuff either. When their parents bought them a new or almost new car of their own, these were also trashed, dented and scratched.
      Kids from not so wealthy families who had to buy their own car in general looked after the cars far more and seemed to have less prangs.

    • Sarah says:

      07:52am | 28/12/10

      Thatmosis I agree. We live close to 2 bus routes (5 min walk) so my 2 kids will not be given a car, they can get jobs after school and save up. I’m happy to help them choose one and help look for defects and issues, but they’ll be using their money.
      This is how kids learn financial responsibility and the value of work, as well as pride in what they have earnt. Easy come easy go. My job is to bring them up to be good responsible adults, not to make life easy for them.
      Even though our household income exceeds $200k and I can afford to buy them cars, I won’t - and if that makes them different from all their friends, well there’s another lesson for them: just ebcause someone else has something doesn’t mean you should/can/will have it too.

    • BarraBob says:

      07:18am | 27/12/10

      Maybe the governments cash for clunkers programme should focus more on 5 star safety rated cars instead of environmentally friendly models. This would not only broarden the choice of vehicles to chose from but it may also save the lives of our kids as I think there are better ways to save the planet.

      Reply

    • NESLIHAN KUROSAWA says:

      08:24am | 27/12/10

      Hi there,

      I do not know why but we seem to have this fascination with owning our own first car and having all that freedom to begin enjoying our lives.  It is more visible in Australia and also in the USA.  “Is it a sign of wealth or freedom, that we can roam the streets with our very own car”???.  What has happened to the idea of using the public transport and other means of transport, just like the ones in major European countries.  And what has ever happened to the good old fashioned way of walking to the bus stop????

      Just like you mentioned in your article, far too many young people under the age of 25 lose their lives or become disabled due to a car accident.  It seems like our message is not getting through to the young generation.  They seem to relate to the idea of having fun, going out and having a few drinks, at the same time driving fast as they can, as the ultimate excitement.  To me personally, it is a very “dangerous combination” to begin with, and the end result can be deadly and life altering for themselves and their families.

      We have to set an example to the young generation, and make sure that they do return home safe and sound after “a night out”.  I just feel like such a waste of young lives lost at the most productive time of their lives.  Having the means to have a car sometimes, can give us total misconception about our status in our society.  Lets not confuse the idea of being free with driving a car at full speed on a Saturday night and also educate our kids to make informed and educated choices when it comes to “saving their own lives”.  Best regards to your editors.

      Reply

    • Public transport not user friendly says:

      08:59am | 27/12/10

      Do you actually live in Australia? The Public transport infrastructure is very poor & if you live outside of major city centres it is virtually non existent.
      I lived in Europe for 10 years & our family had one car, which was only used on weekends. We moved back to Australia a few years ago & tried to get by with only one car. We managed for about 6mths before we gave in & bought the second car.
      In Australia our family must have two cars, my husband drives 20mins to the train station for the 1 & 1/2 hr train trip to the city. There are no bus services within walking distance from our regional suburban home that would take him to the train station.
      I need a car to drive my children to school & then get to work. There are no bus services from home to the school & none that would get me to work on time after taking the kids to school. Local hills between home & school have 15% gradient & are not safe for young children to ride to school.
      This is why in Australia people drive cars.

    • NESILHAN KUROSAWA says:

      03:31am | 28/12/10

      Hi Public transport not friendly,

      Yes, I have lived in Australia for the last 30 years or so and I have always relied on Public Transport.  You are very right to comment about the problems regarding our Public Transport system.  However, it is about time that we let our State and Federal Leaders to invest more funding wisely to upgrade our roads and railways, so that we can use them more efficiently.  I strongly believe that complaining about what is wrong with the system does not always guarantee us better results and future.

      Also, lets not forget Australia is a very big continent and most major cities are very spread out.  Luckily, we do not have the population of most European countries.  We just have to work harder to come up with better, solutions,  services and access to the Australian Public.  Which can prove to be very costly and time consuming.  it is not all that bad !!! 
      I believe,  we do have higher living standards than the rest of the world.  And “you can not have it all”.  All it takes is a bit of better planning and money well spent.  Best regards to your editors.

    • LC says:

      02:01pm | 20/03/11

      NESLIHAN KUROSAWA, been to the country recently? You’ll find public transport is non-existant out there. It’s limited to only cities.

      And even in Melbourne at least, the public transport is a joke. It’s unreliable, crowded and (especially trains) unsafe after dark.

      If I wanted to get to work exclusively using public transport, I’d have to spend 10 minutes walking to a bus stop for a trip to the station that takes about 30 minutes, to catch a train for that takes about 40 minutes to get to Flinders St to catch ANOTHER train that takes 30 minutes to get to the appropriate station, then a 15 minute walk to get from the station to work. When you factor in wait times, that’s a between 1hour 35 minutes (assuming wait times of <5 minutes for each mode) and over 3 hours (assuming I just miss each mode and am forced to wait for the next) to get to work. I start at 8:30 so that means I’d have to get up at 5:00 am to shower/shave/breakfast before work, and I finish at 5:00-6:00 pm, meaning I’m home by 8:30-9:30 that night, right when all the dodgy types are hanging around (and that’s a bad thing on days where I have to take equipment home). No thank you.

      I drive to work and depending on traffic conditions, I can get there in about 30-45 minutes (shave off five if I’m riding my motorcycle). Meaning up at 7:00 am, and back home by 6:15-7:00 pm that night. Much easier to live with.

      If we had public transport to the standards of Europe, your argument would hold quite a bit of water. Unfortunately it’s not. Climb down outta that ivory tower of yours and take a look at the real world once in a while.

    • Mother Rose says:

      08:47am | 27/12/10

      When you get your parental leave “bonus” for breeding,
      put the money in an investment fund for when the sprog reaches driving age and get them their 5 star car.
      Getz? Fiesta? some other tin can waring to be crushed by fate?

      Teach your sprog how to drive properly, it’s much cheaper.

      Reply

    • Paul says:

      09:40am | 27/12/10

      Roger, your article’s nobler points have been smothered by the rather presumptuous premise that buying one’s children a car when they turn 20 is something akin to getting them a new bike when they’re 5.  It ain’t.  I’m happy, however, for you to buy my kids a 5-star NCAP rated European hatch.  Otherwise, I agree with the above commenter that better driver education - like Finland’s perhaps (several years, serious skills taught) - might be a better investment.

      Reply

    • cRook says:

      11:20am | 27/12/10

      Cars don’t crash. People crash.

      Reply

    • stephen says:

      12:03pm | 27/12/10

      The most important thing your parents can do for you at 17 - apart from buying you your first surfboard - is buying your first car. And keep your parents out of it. It’s yours. Mum’s got her kitchen, Dad his garage. Your own little piece of real-estate that can go to the Gold-Coast with a girl-friend in it is still an adventure waiting to happen.
      May I suggest, though,
      not in a Volvo?
      I’ve had six beetles, a half-back (VW again) and a Kombi. All unsafe in crashes. Never got hurt, cause cars are too much fun and I simply wanted to get somewhere. Kids get into trouble because they use them as tools for competition. Drags, and so forth.
      Ignore the writer.  Buy a bomb and do it up. Be proud of it. Cars are not only transport, but can even become a career path or even make you a good surfer.

      Reply

    • Steph says:

      12:54pm | 27/12/10

      With the way cars can be treated by new drivers then the Volvo is the safest option. It’s essentially a steel cage surrounding the driver and passengers. If it flips, crashes, skids etc then the occupants inside are safe - safer than they’d be in a holden commodore.

      As for buying your 17 year old a car, I wouldn’t go there. One of my sisters friends has just got his green P plates and in the last week totaled his second car. He also ran up $2000 worth of speeding fines and because he refuses to pay them and the car is in his mothers name, she has to fork out the cash. She also bought both of his cars, and he still owes her for the second.

      One of my friends got a brand shiny new 2007 Renault Megane from her parents when she got her P plates (in 2007, it was fresh off the showroom floor). Within 6 months she totaled it by speeding along at 80 on a dirt road. It spun, flipped and hit a pole. Her parents bought her another one. They still had the debt from the first one. And she handballs any speeding fines/red light fines she gets onto her parents because the car is in their name and she can’t be f**ked paying them. If they want to keep their credit rating, they have to pay them.

      See where I’m going with this?

    • stephen says:

      01:55pm | 27/12/10

      Parents from heaven.
      After my first car, I had to pay for the rest, but I do draw the line at Renaults. (Volvos are OK, and should come with slippers and a cocker-spaniel.)
      French cars are OK (they should have upgraded the R26 instead of the current design), but they have poor ventilation.
      I reckon your driver may have seen seeing the ‘fog’.

    • Phil says:

      01:31pm | 27/12/10

      Roger. I am going to partially agree with you.

      My take on it is when in 6 years time my eldest gets her L’s I will purchase her the best slowest second hand Mercedes I can afford, probably around 15-20K. Something like a 2010 C class but with the slowest motor.. Similar money to a new tin can car. It will be much safer, has little power to get her into trouble and will come with plenty of safety features.

      Not only that but she will be taught to drive properly. Not by me, not that im not a good driver, but I may teach her some bad habits. She will do advanced driving schools with the likes of Ian Luff, who has taught me many times, and every time I do advanced driving whether on a circuit or not I learn more about car control and improve my driving skills. Speed and cars dont kill anyone, its the sudden stop and ones inability to drive to the surroundings and conditions that causes accidents.

      For her part, my daughter will have to do some work to pay for things on the vehicle, but $ 2-3,000 maybe more if she needs it, of lessons by someone I trust, not someone just trying to get her passed a test, will be one of the best investments that I and my wife can make in our daughters. I personally think that this type of training should be mandatory and issued just like HEX debts to kids. Teach them to drive. Not many whole families are wiped out by three point turns and reverse parking manouvers, yet the emphasis on this is disproportional to what it should be. Test for emergency braking around objects in the wet, skid pan work etc. This would sabe far more lives than a new volvo. Yes some boys particularly will try and get teh car sideways, but on a skid pan at slower speeds is better than at 90 kms on a wet dark road they dont know.

      That and stipulations will apply to its use once she gets her P plates. She will be taught to care for the car, not rebuild the engine, but fuel, tyres, oil etc. and will have to keep it clean and tidy.

      See one of the slowest drivers of my mates was involved in a crash on his way to work by some dope who thought he could drive. He easily could have been killed, but was driving a safe car hence he survived albeit with injuries which took a short while to recover from. In an old S box, he probably would have died.

      Reply

    • Futureproof says:

      03:54pm | 27/12/10

      Get a car with ESC, EBD, ABS.  There are plenty of cars under 25k with these features.  Also get a manual.  The left arm is better utilised changing gears than texting on a phone.  Besides, manuals are more fun and give the driver more mastery over the car than what can be achieved driving an auto. ** My opinion of course.**  My car has over 220k on the clock, same clutch, same gearbox from new.

      Reply

    • Robert Smissen, rural SA, God's own country says:

      03:58pm | 27/12/10

      I think you are all approaching this backward, the safer the driver thinks their car is, the crappier the driver usually is, hence “bloody Volvo driver”. Perhaps instead of all the SRS air bags etc, what about a razor sharp spear that emerges from the steering wheel, that would make them think twice about messing about.

      Reply

    • David says:

      05:26pm | 27/12/10

      As a professional driving instructor, I really have to take issue with Steph’s comments.  Most driving instructors are very caring individuals doing a difficult job under time pressures.  I for one love my job and care for my students, not only before they go for their test, but after as well. 

      Like any industry, you get a variety of people working in it.  Just think back to your teachers at high school.  Were they all of equal quality or did some stand out as really caring for your needs and desires.  The same is true of trainers in the driving school industry.  The problem lies in trying to find an instructor who has those qualities.  There is no easy way to do so, so most students / parents ring up, ask how much and if it seems reasonable then they book a lesson.

      I for one have a $9 first lesson, so people can try me out without making a big financial commitment.  I also drive a 2009 MINI Cooper D automatic, one of the safest cars not only in terms of passive safety features but also performs extremely well with a go-cart like feel.  It cost more than most other driving school cars, but my students love it.

      When parents or students book lessons, they are almost always focused on the driving test.  The trainer is caught between wanting to extoll the virtues of lifelong safe driving, compared with the want of the person paying the bills to pass their test with as least financial commitment as possible.

      Steph said she wouldn’t trust her children to learn with an instructor with a ten foot pole.  I for one treat every one of my students as just as important as my own two teenager sons whom I am also teaching to drive.  Yes, my reputation is important to me, but so is the thought that I can make a difference.

      Otherwise, I would practice as a lawyer and earn a lot more money.

      David,
      crashtestdummy.com.au

      Reply

    • Kate says:

      05:49pm | 27/12/10

      My first car was a 1994 Hyundai Excel (purchased in 2006). It was crap, but had these rubber bumpers on the front and back which were fantastic for the first time I bumped into a pole and my first accident (someone rear-ended me).
      It wasn’t very safe - it broke down constantly - but that actually taught me some good lessons as a P plater, eg how to call the RACV, how not to panic when you break down on the freeway, how to distinguish between ‘normal clunking noise’ and ‘potential engine failure’ etc.
      My parents bought that one for me, but when it finally kicked the bucket, they bought me a 2000 Hyundai Accent on the condition that I pay them back. I’m a pretty decent driver, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that I am paying for the car, I pay for insurance, and I know that a new car won’t be provided for me if I crash it. Also, my parents would never pay any fines for me.

      Reply

    • john E says:

      07:11am | 28/12/10

      My two sons are 18 and 17, and soon to obtain P plates. I plan to get them a 1998 Mercedes 180C for about 6K. Not too powerful, strong body that’s not too small, airbags, anti-skid brakes. They will be responsible for running costs and I am sure I have taught them enough that they will look after it well.
      Those of you who have stories of young drivers who have abused cars that parents have bought them should realise that not all kids are the same.

      Reply

    • Eric I says:

      01:22pm | 28/12/10

      Is it normal for parents to buy their kids cars these days!?! I feel deprived!

      Reply

    • Phil says:

      08:59pm | 28/12/10

      Eric no one bought me a car. My parents could have but didnt. I am not angry at them that passed long ago, but I have learnt that being a good parent does not entail just giving but being there constantly for your kids, making sure they are the centre of your world, and that they are unconditionally loved. Far more important than any car.

    • Spite says:

      06:15pm | 28/12/10

      I bought my first car in October last year at the age of 18 - a 1996 Lancer, no air-con, two doors, and a carburettor engine. I loved it, thought it was divine, only because it was my car and I had bought it myself, for $2500.
        In February, I had an accident on the off-ramp of a motorway in peak hour. Despite having lived in that area my entire life, I had no idea that the off-ramp got so congested around that time, and I ran up the back of another car that was blocking my lane. That car of mine may not have had the greatest safety features in the world, but something that should be considered is the cost and availability of parts, when it comes to cars for P-platers. This prevents them from driving a car when they KNOW something is wrong, but can’t be bothered dealing with the cost of fixing it.
        My next car was a 2001 Holden Vectra CD - seemed like a great purchase at the time. I’d gotten a new job that paid a lot of money and rewarded myself with a new car that had air conditioning to make the travel a little more comfortable. What a mistake. I’d discourage anyone from buying an Opel-made Holden for their son or daughter, or themselves. It’s a Holden, yet parts cost an absolute fortune and the reliability factor is zero. In the six months I had that Vectra, I spent $3000 on parts and repairs, and then the air conditioner unit died. At that point, I got rid of it and bought myself a brand-spanking-new Subaru Impreza. It’s safe, parts are easy to find and don’t cost an arm and a leg - the only thing a P-plater in a Subaru has to worry about is the cost of insurance, because unfortunately Subaru + P-plates = Hoon in the eyes of insurance companies.

      Just my 10c on cars for P-platers, as a P-plater who has tried several varieties!

      Reply

    • Classic says:

      07:53pm | 28/12/10

      I had a Volvo XC90 until three weeks ago.  I had it for four and half years until I had 45 seconds to get out of it before it became a flaming wreck.  Catastrophic saftey failure for the saftest car in the world.  Google “Volvo fire”.

      Reply

    • Craig says:

      11:16am | 29/12/10

      A 1996 Volkswagen Golf GL has a four star safety rating and will cost you about $2,500.

      Problem solved.

      Reply
 
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