[DonDavis]

This is a very touchy subject and can lead to heated arguments when voicing one's opinion.

Here's mine...
The single most important safety feature in any car is the driver's brain. Regardless of age. Airbags, ABS, crumple zones, blah blah can all give a false sense of "if I do have a collision, I won't get hurt". If you want to turn off your kids hearing when talking about the dangers of driving, tell them kids are bad drivers. They'll hear "only kids suck at driving, adults are very good at driving". Truth is, adults are better at multi tasking behind the wheel. Older drivers never had a cell phone, 6 CD changer, GPS, Starbuck's latte, etc... to take care of. New drivers have a hard time just keeping the car ON THE ROAD, much less checking mirrors and keeping aware of changing traffic patterns.
Their early driving environment is filled with other kids just as unaware. My daughter was cautious, slow and patient yet her first car was hit 5x in the first 18-24 months of driving and none were her fault. I never heard about the one's that were but I'm sure she bumped a thing or two.

I say no cell phone, AT ALL for the first year. I know, there will be many objections and justifications to this but regret is far more expensive. Ask any parent that has lost a kid to cell phone/texting/driving. I had that argument and won, my girl was 17 before she got her first cell. My son will be the same, I guaranty that.

Take your kid to a parking lot and drive with them, often. BEFORE they get a license. And don't tell me "the law says blah blah". Just do it.

Stay aware of their skills. Have them drive you around when they are legal. Keep your comments to a minimum while they are driving. Debrief the drive and have some laughs.

Driving is fun, right?