Car accidents are the number one killer of teenagers. Nearly 3,000 teens die in crashes every year -- more than the number of teens that die from cancer, gun violence, or drug use.

Consumer Reports says attacking the problem on many fronts can go a long way to prevent tragedy. Renee Pisarz’s 18-year-old son Stephen was just a few miles from his destination when his car skidded on ice and flipped several times, killing him and injuring his passenger.

"We'll never be the same. To lose a child is the greatest loss," she said.

What haunts Renee is that Stephen was not wearing a seat belt, a factor in about 60 percent of fatal car accidents for teens.

Distractions like texting or talking on the phone are also factors. And in fatal accidents, 27 per cent of young drivers were drunk.

"The first year of driving is the riskiest. Actually, 16-year-olds are three times more likely to get in a crash than 18 or 19-year-olds," Consumer Reports' Liza Barth said.

Consumer Reports says traditional driving education classes aren’t enough and recommends advanced training programs to teach teens how to handle emergency situations and become safer drivers.

B.C.’s graduated licensing program for new drivers is also making a big difference.

"In the first three years of the GLP program alone we reduced the new driver crash rate by 16 percent,” said Adam Grossman, spokesman for the Insurance Corporation of B.C.

These laws place restrictions on teen drivers, like limiting late-night driving and the number of passengersallowed in a vehicle.

And Consumer Reports says new technology like Ford's programmable MyKey reminds teens to do the right thing.

"Ford's MyKey has some interesting features. A teen can't put the radio on until the seat belt is fastened. And also parents can set a top driving speed," said Barth.

The car itself is also important. Parents tend to buy their teens older cars because they're less expensive, but they don't have the latest safety features and that can make all the difference, Barth added.

ICBC says a modest vehicle is your best bet for a teen driver.

"Good visibility, good safety for sure, automatic transmission is a great idea when you're just learning to drive, but be conscious about not giving them too powerful of vehicle to drive,” said Grossman. 

Consumer Reports says two really important safety features for teens are electronic stability control and side curtain air bags.

It has released the following list of recommended cars for teen drivers:

Acura TSX
Chevrolet Equinox (V6, 2010-2012)
Chevrolet Malibu (4-cyl., 2008 or later)
Ford Focus sedan (2009-2011)
Ford Fusion (4-cyl. and hybrid, 2010 or later)
Honda Accord (4-cyl., 2008 or later)
Honda Fit (2011 or later)
Hyundai Elantra (2011 or later)
Hyundai Elantra SE (2008-2010)
Hyundai Elantra Touring
Hyundai Santa Fe (V6, 2007-2009, no third-row seat)
Hyundai Sonata (4-cyl., nonturbo, 2006 or later)
Hyundai Tucson (2010 or later)
Infiniti G25
Kia Forte (2010 or later)
Kia Optima (nonturbo, 2010 or later)
Kia Soul
Kia Sportage (4-cyl., nonturbo, 2011 or later)
Mazda 3i Touring (2009 or later)
Mazda 3s Touring or Grand Touring (2007 or later)
Mazda 6i (4-cyl., 2009 or later)
Mitsubishi Outlander (2007 or later, no third-row seat)
Nissan Altima (4-cyl., 2010 or later)
Nissan Rogue
Nissan Sentra (2010 or later)
Scion xB (2008 or later)
Subaru Forester (nonturbo, 2009 or later)
Subaru Impreza (nonturbo, 2009 or later)