by Penny M. Hagerman
Teenagers love the sense of freedom and control they get from driving a car. With license and steering wheel in hand, the world is theirs—and they feel invincible.
But the rush a teen gets behind the wheel of a car often causes him or her to take risks that experienced drivers don’t. This makes a teen a serious threat to everyone on the road, causes car insurance rates to skyrocket and results in higher premiums overall.
Teaching by Example
More young people between the ages of 15 and 20 die in car crashes than from anything else—causing risk for the car insurance company and higher quotes for teen drivers.
One of the best ways to offset this risk, lower teen car insurance quotes and keep their teen safe, is for adults to set a good example for their teen behind the car wheel.
Parents who actively model safe driving practices like these in front of their teen ultimately produce better adult drivers with lower car insurance quotes:
- Brush up on state laws. Know state driving and insurance rules, as well as their effect on teen car insurance quotes, and practice them while driving.
- Enforce safety and low quotes by making your teen participate in Graduated Driver Licensing, a three-step program that helps new drivers practice car driving under lower-risk conditions before becoming fully car licensed and requesting quotes.
- Set and enforce rules for when, where, how and with whom the teen may drive the car—and practice the same guidelines in the car yourself—to help keep teen quotes low.
- Ask your car insurance company about electronic tracking devices that monitor the way your teen drives the car—and their effect on quotes. Then use the information gathered to teach teen drivers safe habits and save money with low teen quotes.
Practicing Safe Driving
Adding a young person to the parents’ insurance policy can raise car insurance rates 50 to 100 percent.
But if they’re willing to go the extra mile, teens can minimize financial impact and help keep everyone safe by taking these few, simple steps:
- Keep the number of car passengers to a minimum. The more people riding in the car, the greater the likelihood of accident—and high teen insurance quotes. In fact, with multiple car passengers, the risk of crashing is three to five times greater than when driving alone, which partially accounts for high teen insurance rates.
- Slow down. 90 percent of teens admit to speeding—one of the main causes of teen car crashes—and higher insurance quotes.
- Buckle up. About two-thirds of teens who die in car wrecks are not wearing seat belts. For more advice on the subject, talk to your insurance agent about the effect of accident on teen quotes.
- Put the phone down. Driving while talking on the phone, dialing or texting distracts a teen, and increases the incidence of car accident and high insurance quotes.
- Speak up. If a teen friend is driving recklessly, ask him or her to quit—or get out of the car as soon as it’s safe to do so.
- Stay home when under the influence. 25 percent of teen drivers killed are intoxicated, leading to increased teen insurance quotes.
Experts say the part of the teen brain that weighs risk, makes judgment calls and controls impulsive teen behavior doesn’t mature until they’re around 25. However, young drivers can overcome most immaturity issues—and keep car insurance rates low—simply by following these guidelines.
Lowering Teen Car Insurance Quotes
Though teens, as a group, carry higher car insurance quotes than adults, much of that cost can be moderated through active learning and safe teen car driving.
So practice safe driving in front of your teen…and require them to follow suit. You’ll keep everyone more secure, keep more of your hard-earned money—and raise a mature, responsible driver your insurance company will love.