Distracted driving has been driving uphill at since the beginning of the first automobile. Back then, it was the thrill of the speed. Today, cyber-obsessed teens can legally start driving from as early as age 16-years with a motorbike license and 18-years with a motor vehicle license. This, essentially, means that reckless driving has grown into an epidemic on South Africa.

Each year, distracted driving claims thousands of road users’ lives and hundreds of thousands have laid victim to road injury. Many adults are, too, guilty of distracted driving.

Perhaps, there are not enough awareness around the fact that cell phone or tablet use, such as chatting or calling, takes drivers’ eyes and concentration away from the road – leading to a tragic collision.

What about pedestrians? One thing South African road users are good at is using their vehicle’s hooter. But, what use does that come into when a teen is blasting music through their earphones or headphones? The outcome can turn out even worse if it is a teenager driving, as their limited years of driving experience can result in a slow reaction time for an emergency maneuver.

Rather than focusing on what colour car to get your teen or which car they would look good in, it’s best to focus on safety features first. Rather than getting your teen an old clunker that has a seatbelt deficit, buying a new car will guarantee them a car with high-tech safety and accident-avoidance systems, such as electronic stability control and automatic emergency braking. For teenagers, we’d recommend a sedan, hatchback or small SUV. Did you know that large SUVs have a higher gravity centre, making them more reluctant to stumble over – not to mention their long braking distance.

Here’s what your teen’s car should not include:

• Acceleration at 0-60 mph times faster than 7.5-seconds to avoid drag racing.
• Acceleration at 0-60 mph times slower than 11-seconds to avoid sluggish highway merging.
• Mediocre emergency-handling scores.
• Braking distances longer than 145-feet in dry conditions.

If your teenager owns a car, chances are that they text and drive, most-likely get easily distracted by its do-it-all infotainment system, or Instagram their #RoadTrip selfies while driving. With these being major road safety hazards for both your teen and other road users, consider selling second hand car and using cash for cars to get a new highly safety-centralised car.

Simply get an estimated value for your car on www.carzar.co.za and book a free technical inspection at one of our DEKRA or KwikFit partner inspection locations. If you decide to sell your car to us, you can choose between 2 options – Instant Cash (Option 1) or More for your Car (Option 2) by letting us advertise to our nationwide network of dealers for 48-hours – we do all the work for you! Accept the instant cash offer or highest offer made, and we’ll make an instant payment straight to your bank account!

Get the best price the market is willing to pay for your second hand car!