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I am extremely glad to hear that your daughter was safe. Where I live the roads are skinny and my specific schools is actually notorious for driving deaths. We lose around a kid each year sadly. Somehow people still have the nerve to text despite the death totals being likely near 20 at this point counting recent graduates who also tend to commonly lose their life. It's very freighting that your car can have all the active safety in the world like a boxster or Miata, you can be completely attentive and never ever plan to text, and you still can suffer injury or worse from someone else's mistake.
Me and both of my sister 7 and 9 years older all three were given a budget of about 6k for a first car while being only allowed to get something they approve of safety wise. Each of my sisters had older civics before getting leases as college cars. (Assisting in the payments.)
I personally was hell bent on a roadster and after educating myself on cars some I found the boxster to be safest and most practical. It aligned well with my personal values, was unique, and well built. And my father had recently switched employers to a Lexus dealer which was in group with the local porsche providing discount maintance. Making thigs as affordable as at least a z3 or z4.
My parents both have made extremely sure that I know how to drive defensively and take driving extremely serious. Everyone at school wants to go for a ride in the porsche or see it do a burnout. And despite being a kill joy I make the right decisions.
I know people with tahoes, rx-8s, fr-s, Mazda minivans, jeep liberties and everything in between and with each vehicle it's down to the driver. Buying a kid a sports car doesn't mean they will speed everywhere, I know people that go 100 in durangos, something way more at limits for the car then In a boxster or Miata.
It is all a tough decision, you can not go wrong with modern safety though. Miatas are extra small even in comparison to boxsters and with so many out their in large vehicles it is a real danger.
I can honestly say that my boxster has saved my life though so the active safety is a clear benefit, I came around a blind corner downhill once, forested with large ditches on each side. Just as I come around the bend I see a very large cherry picker in oncoming with its two inside wheels in my lane on the already small hill. I was going maybe 5 over at the time. Not to mention this hill quickly leads to a stop sign at the bottom of this curve that literally mimics the corkscrew of Laguna seca to a lesser extent. I had to decelerate, around a tight bend, while manuvering the car left onto the small patch of grass next to the ditch maintaining the line of the curve and still stop in time for the stop sign. In the case I was In an suv or many other cars with my lack of skill I would have likely ended up in the ditch or have sideswiped the cherry picker at the least.
I have had two friends rear end other people because they locked up their breaks, not knowing that to meneauver around something you must let off the break.
I guess to sum up my large thought dump, car safety both passive and active matter a lot but large focuses are on making sure that your kids respect the road, know not to text, and can drive defensively.
That'll be all for my thought dump.
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