David Strickland does not like the DVD player installed in your car, or the computer in the dashboard. He's not a big fan of the Ford Sync, and he probably doesn't even like your car radio if it's too loud. Who, you might ask, is this buzz kill who hates all this stuff that makes driving fun? The administrator of the National Highway Safety Administration, that's who.

And he's not an uptight Puritan, either. His concern is purely safety: namely distracted driving.

Distracted driving is a real problem. You're probably most familiar with it from laws being passed making texting while driving a crime, but that's just one aspect of it. A lot of people are hurt and killed when a driver picks the wrong moment to go flick the radio volume knob up a few notches or adjust the thermostat in the vehicle. Ever wonder why steering wheels all have volume controls now? It's proven to reduce injuries and fatalities.

The jury is still out on items such as hands-free systems for cell phones. Depending on who you ask, they at least manage to keep both hands on the wheel instead of one ear plugged and one hand holding up the phone, or they just exacerbate the problem, impairing the driver as much as slamming two shots of tequila before hitting the road.

Strickland made this proclamation right in the middle of a huge conference to -- get this -- make cars as distracting as possible. Well, not literally, but figuratively. He noted that he “wasn't in the business of helping people post on Facebook better, ” which was obviously squarely aimed at the Chevy Cruze, which makes a bit of a big deal out of the fact that it can read you your Facebook posts while you drive. In fact, social networking in cars is increasingly becoming a big deal, with built-in apps to access your various social media accounts to keep you updated while you drive and, of course, to let you update.

Personally, we kind of wonder what could be so exciting that your car needs to tweet about it, but that's just us.

What Strickland is concerned about is “cognitive distraction.” That is, you take your mind off the task at hand to focus on something else, like the fact that your girlfriend just dumped you through Facebook. While the NHTSA is concerned about people taking their eyes off the road or their hands off the wheel, it's the cognitive impairment that really concerns them.

Does this mean that social networking systems and other gimmicks are going to be outlawed in vehicles? It’s possible, but unlikely. Texting while driving was kind of a no-brainer: hands, eyes and mind all off the road at once was a pretty simple call. But good luck getting cell phones banned from cars: we've been talking in our cars for decades.

Mostly the concern right now is teenagers, who are, of course, very easily distracted by their friends, their phones, and just about anything that has a touch screen. Everyone agrees that teenagers shouldn’t have cars that tweet, on general principle if nothing else. But for the rest of us? In the end, it might be up to us to prove we can handle tweeting hands-free in our fancy new cars.

If you need car insurance, check out SafeAuto.com.

Do you remember the dramatic video of an SUV cornering and nearly falling over? Consumer Reports put that together back when SUVs were considered “death traps.” Car insurance rates went up for SUV-drivers as a result. But it seems that that time has come and gone, and now SUVs are the safest cars on the road.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety now says that SUVs are extremely safe, thanks to the addition of Electronic Stability Control (ESC). But how ironic; SUVs (also known as gas guzzlers) have been recognized as the safest cars, just in time for gas prices to go through the roof, and fuel-efficient, four-door minicars are among the most dangerous deathtraps. While SUVs average 28 deaths per 100,000, smaller cars average 82.

The common wisdom about SUVs turns out to be true: their size and weight does protect the driver in a crash. And, ironically, the size and popularity of SUVs are the problem for smaller cars: in collisions involving two or more cars, the death rate rose dramatically when a small car hit a larger one.

So, is it really a tradeoff? Can we only have safety if we're willing to pay for it? Can we only have fuel efficiency if we risk our necks? Fortunately, the answer to both questions is “no.” You can drive an SUV and still save on gas...well, somewhat, anyway. How?

• Buy a minivan. If you need a car to take kids around and haul groceries, etc., let go of the SUV and buy a minivan. They're more fuel-efficient and, more importantly, safer, according to the IIHS study. Minivans had only 25 deaths per 100,000. You may feel a bit less rugged in a minivan, but what's more important: your ego or your family's safety?
• Buy a hybrid SUV. While the mileage isn't great compared to other hybrids, hybrid SUVs get far better mileage than their all-gasoline counterparts. For example, the Ford Escape Hybrid, the most fuel-efficient SUV, has a combined mileage of 32 mpg, and costs about $30,000. Other hybrids run between 20 and 25 combined mpg; while they may not have the records of a Prius, they can still save you quite a bit at the pump.
• Reduce your driving in general, at least where you can. The best way to not get in a car crash is to...not be in a car. Cutting down your driving will also save on gas.
• Take stock of your driving habits and ask yourself how safe they really are. Part of the reason there are so many accidents on the road is, pure and simple: the drivers. Overconfidence and bad habits kill more people than any make of car on the road.

At the end of the day, safety is fairly relative: car crashes are still unfortunately very common in the United States, and we all have to do our part to avoid being involved in them or causing them in the first place. If we all put safety first, the road will be a better place, no matter what we drive.

If you need car insurance, check out SafeAuto.com.

Not these kind of "wheels."

The day that you've been dreading for as long as you’ve been a parent is finally here. Yes, your little baby is now old enough to drive.

For the first 16 years of your child's life, you've been able to shield him or her from many of life's dangers simply because you could control his or her mobility. But now, your kid has reached the age where he or she wants nothing else but a set of wheels.

Facing this conundrum, parents might be tempted to go with their knee-jerk reaction of locking the child in the house until the age of 25. Or they may attempt to protect their "precious little baby" by acquiring a vehicle that is only slightly smaller than the average tour bus.

Alas, neither of those approaches offers a practical long-term solution. So the best bet for worried parents is to purchase a car that is designed to keep its driver as safe from harm as technologically possible (without remortgaging your home in the process).

Here are six suggestions:

NEW CARS

	Hyundai Sonata Average price: $20,000 or less The Sonata comes with traction control for additional footing on icy or slick roads. Its brake assist system can sense emergency braking and automatically apply maximum power to the brakes in these situations.
	Kia Optima Average price: $19,500 or less In addition to the traditional steering wheel airbag, the Optima is equipped with two other airbag systems to shelter the driver in a crash. One actually deploys from the seat itself to offer lower-body protection, and the other drops from the ceiling and blocks the windows.
	Volkswagen Jetta Average price: $17,000 or less (a bit more for an automatic transmission) The Jetta features a pretty nifty crash response system. When it senses a collision, the system automatically turns on the hazard lights, unlocks the doors, and cuts off the flow of gasoline to the engine.

USED CARS

	2004 Toyota Camry Average price: $11,000 The thousands of people who buy Camrys every year can't be wrong. And they aren't: this model gets top-shelf quality safety ratings year after year.
	2005 Honda CR-V Average price: $14,500 This sport utility vehicle was ahead of its time when it introduced stability control several years ago. The system assists drivers who are losing control of the SUV (a common problem for young drivers) to start regaining it.
	2006 Ford F-150 Average price: $15,500 If your kid's new car is a truck, it should probably be the perennial best-selling pickup in the U.S. The F-150 has one of the highest front crash safety ratings of any truck in its class.

So parents: don't think of this milestone as a loss of your ability to defend your child from the evils of real life. Think of it as an opportunity for your child to grow and become more responsible -- and for you to pawn off some mundane errands on your freeloading offspring. It's a win-win!

If you need car insurance, check out SafeAuto.com

Image credits: cambridgebicycle.com, fashionfunky.com, autospectator.com, insideline.com, autos.aol.com, auctimoto.com.