Our son got his license and a car after he graduated high school. We got him a Honda Fit due to the good gas mileage and safety. He ended up driving it from home to L.A. daily, driving through the worst intersection in the US. That gave him appropriate caution about other cars.
He was hit while stopped at a stop light. The hitting car, his car, and another car were all totalled. My son was completely unhurt. The only thing he complained about was that his slushy was spilled. When he turned 21, I taught him how to drive stick on my S2000. There was no way I was going to let him drive a powerfull sports car without a few years of driving experience. He never drove the car as a matter of course, but I thought it useful to know how to drive stick.
He has purchased his own car, with a stick. He has hands free for his phone (aftermarket).
Luckily it is pretty recent with all the important safety features. Personally, I would focus on the safety aspects. Cars like we learned on are considerably less safe than most cars today (airbags, four wheel disc brakes, anti-lock brakes, driver's stability, etc...).
Shawn
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"I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"