By the Numbers

CHRISTMAS TREES

$10

million

That’s the amount Virginia Christmas tree sales top annually.

WATCH US

Fall activities and pumpkins are featured on Real Virginia

Featured this month on Real Virginia, Virginia Farm Bureau’s weekly television program: • Virginia pumpkin growers continue to attract visitors to their U-pick patches. • Learn to identify invasive plants in your garden. • New Kent County’s pumpkins and other crops are featured in this month’s County Agriculture Close-up.

Real Virginia airs nationwide at 3:30 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month on RFD-TV on Dish Network and DirecTV, and on selected cable outlets around the state. It airs weekly on WBRA digital channel 15.2, WHRO Norfolk, WVVA Bluefield and WTKR Norfolk, and on the first and third weekends of each month on WVIR Charlottesville and WRLH Richmond.

Watch Real Virginia anytime online at youtube.com/ user/VirginiaFarmBureau.

Find It and Win!

Cultivate magazine is offering a new contest for its readers. In each issue, search for a farming icon, and enter to win. This month’s icon is a pumpkin. Contest rules are as follows:

Find the pumpkin inside this publication. Once you’ve located it, send an email to membershipbenefits@vafb.com with the subject line “Found It.”

The body of the email must contain the following: • Your name • Your mailing address • The membership benefit advertisement located nearest the image • The page number where the icon is located

The first 15 members who submit correct entries will win a 20-ounce stainless steel Virginia Farm Bureau logo tumbler. Readers are eligible to win only one tumbler during the contest period, January through December 2021. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. Winners will be contacted by email. *Virginia Farm Bureau and Countryway employees are not eligible to win.

20-OZ. stainless steel

Virginia Farm Bureau logo tumbler!

Newer, larger vehicles offer teen drivers a safer ride

BY ADAM CULLER

Driving an older-model vehicle or a hand-me-down car is a common rite of passage for many teenage drivers.

Given that teenagers have the highest risk of being involved in a wreck, most parents avoid buying their children a new car because of the expense. However, according to a 2020 study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, teens’ higher crash risk may be among the best reasons to invest in newer vehicles.

Analyzing crash data from 2013 to 2017, IIHS found 62.4% of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were driving vehicles between six and 15 years old. From 2008 to 2012, the figure was 65.4%.

When compared to newer models, older vehicles lack modern safety technology that protects drivers, such as side airbags, emergency braking systems and electronic stability control. The IIHS study also revealed teens driving cars less than 3 years old—vehicles that have standard advanced safety technology— accounted for only 3.7% of all fatalities between 2013 and 2017.

“Parents looking for a safe and reliable car for a new driver should consult with a list compiled by IIHS, and examine the safety features to make sure teens are going to be protected in the event of a crash,” said David Tenembaum, Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. actuarial manager.

“New vehicles offer the latest in both crash protection and crash avoidance for safety-conscious consumers,” he added. “In the last few years, many automakers have added numerous safety features like lane departure warnings, front crash prevention systems, blind spot detection and more.”

IIHS research also showed more than a quarter of teens involved in fatal accidents were driving vehicles classified as micro, mini or small.

Due to their lighter mass, smaller cars pose an increased risk to motorists because they cannot withstand collisions with larger, heavier vehicles. Additionally, the smaller front end of a small vehicle offers less protection than that of a larger one. Finding the right vehicle

For the second year, IIHS has teamed up with Consumer Reports to publish a guide that lists affordable, safe and reliable vehicles for teen drivers.

Despite increased demand for new and used vehicles and supply shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the two organizations have identified 61 vehicles between $6,400 to $19,800 that meet strict safety criteria.

The full list can be viewed at iihs.org/

Teen drivers are safer driving new vehicles instead of oldermodel cars.

ratings/safe-vehicles-for-teens.

“With used car prices so high this year, it may be tempting to have a newly licensed teen make do with a clunker or to buy them the smallest, cheapest new car available,” said IIHS president David Harkey. “As usual, we’re asking families to put safety at the center of this decision.”