Argue all you want; however you'd be hard-pressed to find documented proof that men are superior to women as drivers. But make no mistake - gender certainly does impact driving habits and insurance industry observers believe that issue manifests in other ways, too. That's a point driven home by insurance executives such as David Snyder, who acknowledges that most car insurance companies take into account a driver's gender in determining policy pricing.

"The weight in pricing varies from company to company and by claims experience over time, but, for example, with all other factors being equal, a female between the ages of 18 and 25 would pay less than her male counterpart because as a rule younger women drivers have fewer accidents and moving violations than males in the same age group," says Snyder, vice president and assistant general counsel of the American Insurance Association, in Washington, D.C.

The only time gender has a bearing on car insurance rates involves young drivers, says Carolyn Gorman, vice president of the Washington, D.C. office of the Insurance Information Institute (III). Young males, between the ages of 16 to 25, typically pay more than females in their age group, because "many young men are more likely to show daredevil tendencies in their driving because of factors such as emotional immaturity and misplaced feelings of immortality," Gorman pointed out.

A seat belt broke recently. The car gets heat but not air, but none of that bothers Hansen too much. He likes to ride with the windows down, anyway. He sees the car, a hand-me-down from his dad, as a boon; he didn't have a job when he got it at 16.

"It gets me from Point A to Point B," he says. "That's really all I need right now."

According to Auto Extra's survey, 90% of the parents quizzed said safety was the most important factor. Not surprisingly, when asked about their children, 66% of parents said "style or coolness" was a major concern for their children, and 61% listed safety as a concern.

All of which means a little shuffling of priorities. The argument of insurance costs can help.

"One of the biggest challenges a family faces when selecting a car for a teen driver is convincing the teen that there are more important considerations than what's cool," says Charley Gillespie, a spokesman for Nationwide insurance.