• As a practical matter, teens and cars offer a conflicting mixture of untried judgments, raw emotions and the potential of serious injury if things go wrong. Therefore, as a parent you're going to need to be prudent when deciding on a car for your child. For example, you don't want to give the kid a high-powered vehicle, since there is a good chance that Janey or Johnny will be tempted to push the pedal to the floor at the wrong moment in the wrong place, creating a serious issue for the child, as well as any innocent bystanders. On the other hand, however, you don't want to give your youngster a car that can't get clear of problems on the road either, so balancing all the positives and negatives should be approached with considerable care. Here are three sound and fairly safe vehicle options for a teen driver.
  
  

Honda Civic

• This car is one of the most popular vehicles on the road for a host of important reasons. First, the Civic is relatively inexpensive to buy and operate. Second, these cars are very reliable and require little in terms of regular maintenance. Third, the peppy little Honda offers reasonable performance for novice drivers. Finally, the car is fairly safe in the event of any kind of accident, including front, rear and side collisions.
  
  

Toyota Scion

• The Toyota Scion offers a number of attractive features for the teen driver and his parents. The car is inexpensive but offers considerable style and panache, which is very important for teens. The performance of the boxy little vehicle is good but not overpowering for first-drivers. And on the safety front, although it might not look like it, the manufacturer has made a particular effort to make the Scion as safe as possible, including both front and side airbags, good belts and acceptable marks during crash testing.
  
  

Toyota Corolla

• The venerable Corolla continues to be at the top of the sales charts year after year, and for the teen and his parents this is a good choice all around. The car is very dependable, performs well on the road and is quite inexpensive to operate and maintain. Additionally, as the design has evolved over the years, all of the necessary safety appointments have been added. As a result, today's Corolla gets good marks in the event of any type of accident, thereby adding up as being a sound decision for both the parent and the child.