Teen Car Insurance and Driver Safety Guide
By Guest Author: Kerry Blake

It’s a well known fact that teen drivers take more risks on the road than drivers over the age of twenty. But many people do not realize just to what extent teens have problems with driving safely, and what exactly can be done to reduce the problem. Besides the physical risks entailed by reckless driving, teens and their parents are often hit with higher insurance premiums. Fortunately, there are things that can be done to improve teen driving and reduce teen insurance premiums.
Image via State Farm

Teens and Automobile Accidents: The Truth

It’s the shocking truth that according to CDC teens are 3 times more likely to get involved in fatal road accidents than drivers over the age of twenty. An explanation for this is that teen drivers simply do not have the requisite experience to drive safely.

High Risk = High Insurance Premiums

Due to the riskiness of insuring adolescent drivers, insurance companies charge much higher premiums for teenage drivers than they do to drivers 25 or older. Unfortunately, many parents are under the impression that there is little or nothing that they can do to lower their teens’ insurance premiums. This, fortunately, is not the case.

Lowering Teens’ Insurance Premiums

One possible way to lower a teen’s car insurance premium is to ask for a good student discount. Some insurers are willing to offer teenagers with a B average or higher insurance discounts they are not willing to offer mediocre or bad students.

Another way to possibly reduce a teen’s premium is to have him or her take a safety-focused driving course after passing his or her driving test. If the course is recognized by the car insurance company, they may be willing to offer some kind of discount. (Of course, different insurers have different policies, and not all are willing to offer any kind of discount.)

In the event that no discounts are available, it is a good idea for teens to consider buying a used car to help them and their families cut overall automobile expenses.

Helping Teen Drivers Develop into Safe Drivers

Becoming a safe, expert driver takes years of practice. Teens need all the help they can get in order to better develop their driving skills. Parents should provide advice and continued assistance as teens become more and more comfortable with driving on their own.

Naturally, at the same time, parents should avoid playing too dominant a role in teens’ driving education. Doing so may end up resulting in communication problems between parents and teens.

The single best way parents can help their teens develop into safe drivers (who will have substantially lower insurance premiums in the future) is to model good driving behaviors. Parents who fail to practice good driving habits cannot expect their older children to do anything but follow their bad example.

Being a good example is invariably more effective than lecturing. Parents should always be aware of their driving and what their teens might learn from their driving in order to encourage teens to establish good driving habits in the future.

Author Bio
Kerry Blake is a writer of technology and automotive articles. You can find Kerry contributing on several sites like King Of Fuel.