Teens are considered high-risk drivers, and insurance companies want families to pay the price. However, there are helpful options when looking into car insurance for a teen driver in the house.
While teens are still trying to figure out the road (and themselves), there are ways to encourage safe driving habits to benefit them and their wallets.
A Guide to Car Insurance for Teens and Driver Safety
If you are worried that car insurance is too expensive, there are ways around this. You can check out something like this: no deposit car insurance pay monthly. But there is a load of other things that you can do to help you.
What Affects Insurance Rates
As a driver and insurance customer, you know many factors affect your monthly premium cost. You tried to be a safe driver and refrained from buying that new car to keep your rate as low as possible. But your teen’s car insurance will still be more expensive than yours, even with their clean slate. The following items are the most significant factors contributing to your teen’s car insurance rate:
- Age
- Gender
- Driving Experience
- Driving Record
- Marital status
Your son can’t help being a 16-year-old boy, but insurance companies see him as a huge liability. Single males younger than 25 maintain the highest car accident record. Their inexperience makes them susceptible to accidents and traffic violations, thus affecting their driving record. It’s an awful, expensive cycle until teens find their footing and can intuitively make better driving decisions. But knowing this, you can make other beneficial choices to reduce that pricey rate.
Having accidents on your record can negatively impact your insurance rates. Contacting auto accident lawyer Schaumburg (or elsewhere more relevant to you) may help reduce the severity of punishment regarding points or compensation paid out in an accident or possibly even collect some compensation payment for your accident. This can help reduce how bad the accident looks to insurance companies if some fault can be shifted onto the other driver using evidence a lawyer can collate.
Reducing Insurance Rates
Not every teen poses the same threat on the road. But accident statistics make it easy for insurance companies to classify all teens as “high risk.” Thankfully, those companies also offer discounts for teenagers who defy those negative expectations. Searching for the best car insurance companies for your needs is essential.
Drivers Ed
Encouraging teens to take a driver’s ed course can promote safe driving. This course also grants your teen a “Safe Driver” label on their license. Driver ed courses outline the basics of driving along with rules and laws all drivers must follow. Taking a driver’s ed course indicates to insurance companies that the new driver has basic professional driving knowledge and is expected to follow the rules.
Good Student Discount
Statistically, students who earn higher grades get into more minor accidents. Therefore, insurance companies like to reward these safe, high-achieving teens. Students achieving and maintaining an average of a B or 3.0 GPA qualify for this as long as they show proof.
Telematics
Telematics monitor and report driving activity to you and the insurance company. Naturally, teens would oppose this invasion of their privacy and free will. But it reinforces and rewards safe driving habits like proper braking and speed limit adherence. So in the long-term, it’s a win-win.
Buy Used or Cheap Cars
Newer and nicer cars equal more frequent and more expensive repairs. Because teens are likely to get into a few fender-benders and bruise the car from curbs or bushes, investing in an older but safer car is cheaper and less risky.
Safe Driving
A safe driver is a cheaper driver. Following the rules of the road and those enforced on teen drivers greatly diminishes accidents and encourages safe driving. A personal injury trial attorney reminds us that a parent is the most crucial person in a teen’s driving experience. Parents must constantly reinforce the need to drive safely and without distractions. The National Highways Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advises these rules for teen safety:
- No phone use
- Always wear a seatbelt
- No drunk driving
- Drive the speed limit
- Don’t drive other passengers
- Drive during daytime hours
Doing the opposite of these rules increases the chances of anyone, especially teens, getting into an accident. These rules keep drivers safe by promoting focus and a safe environment to juggle all driving demands.
Guide To Car Insurance For Teens
But one of the best ways to promote safe driving in teens is to continue letting them drive. Inexperience is the number one reason that teenagers are not good drivers. Learning to judge traffic, timing, speed, weather, and traffic takes time and practice. It’s also important to explain the reasoning behind driving rules.
For example, having passengers in the car is a huge responsibility. Their lives are in your hands when you are behind the wheel. It’s essential to set safe driving examples and make clear that cars are a means to get from point A to point B. They are not meant to be an attraction themselves.
Thank you for discussing the different things that affect the cost of car insurance. My son is about to start driving and I am helping him get everything set up. I will find great auto insurance for him in the area as well.