Car Insurance Articles
What Car Insurance Discounts Can I Get For My Teen Driver?
2009-11-09
Are your stress levels rising? Do you find yourself experiencing anxiety and 'ghost brake' syndrome when riding in the passenger seat? Are you experiencing sharp pains from the wallet region when it comes time to pay your car insurance? If these symptoms sound familiar, you may have a teen driver. The risks facing teen drivers are not figments of a nervous parent's imagination. According to the CDC "the risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16 to 19 year olds than among any other age group." This higher risk is often reflected in higher insurance rates. Fortunately, there are steps parents and teens can take to secure car insurance discounts.
The first thing to decide is whether to have your teen on your policy, or have them take out a policy of their own. If they will be driving a shared family car, having them under a shared policy is likely to be the less expensive option. Encourage your teen to maintain good grades. Good scholars make great investments, at least from an insurance standpoint. Many insurance agencies will offer discounted car insurance quotes to students who maintain a grade point average within the program's limit. Continuing in the educational vein, having your teen attend an accredited drivers education program may also make them eligible for an insurance discount. Consult with your insurance company to determine which programs in your area are eligible. As with adult drivers, if your teen can maintain a clean driving record, they will face lower car insurance costs.
The car your teen will be driving will also impact their car insurance premium. A couple factors to consider if you or your teen will be buying a car include safety and anti-theft features, age of the car and expense. Choosing vehicle that is not brand new, but has modern safety features such as anti-lock brakes, side air bags, theft deterrents and motorized seat belts maximizes your chance of lowering the premium your teen will face. Teens are statistically more likely to be in an auto accident, so it makes sense to look at accident forgiveness, which maybe more expensive up front but offer significant benefits in the case that your teen does experience an accident. This protects your teens' car insurance rating from dropping dramatically if they are found to be at fault in an accident.
The car insurance discounts available to teens make financial sense, and offer parents peace of mind. In this case, your insurer and you are working towards the same end - lowering your teen's risk on the road. Safer vehicles, more education, greater motivation to be proactive about road safety - all of these will help protect your teen, and your wallet.