Cost-Saving Tips for Insuring Teen Drivers
Saving money on auto insurance helps everyone's pocketbook. Butonce your teenager gets behind the wheel, all hope of cheap carinsurance rates is lost.Or is it?The Low-DownHere's the bad news: adding a teen driver to your policycan increase your auto insurance rates by as much as 50 to 100percent. This is simply because young people often take riskswhile driving, and don't have the experience needed to make wisedecisions behind the wheel. Distraction also causes many accidents and deaths on the roadwhere young people are concerned.But there is good news. You can impact those autoinsurance increases--and keep them to a minimum--just byplanning ahead and taking decisive action. If you and your child are willing to work together to help keepcosts low, you might be surprised the difference you'll see inyour auto insurance rates.What You Can DoSo what can you do to help keep car insurance rates low?Follow these cost-saving tips recommended by insuranceexperts:Insure your son or daughter on your auto insurancepolicy. It is generally cheaper to add your teenager to yourinsurance policy than to purchase a separate one just for thechild. If your child will be driving his or her own car, addingthat vehicle to your own policy also qualifies you for amulti-policy discount.Encourage your teen to get good grades and take a driver'straining course. Most auto insurance companies offer studentdiscounts for maintaining at least a "B" average in school andtaking driver's training courses.Shop around for the best rates and coverage before you settleon a new policy. Insurance companies vary dramatically intheir pricing strategies concerning young drivers, so make sureto compare offerings side-by-side.Pick a safe car for your teenager to drive. The type ofcar a young person drives can dramatically affect the price youpay for car insurance. A safe, easy-to-drive car poses less riskto both your auto insurance company and your teenager--and helpskeep insurance rates down.Inform your insurer if your child is going away toschool. When your young person attends school at least 100miles away and leaves the car at home, you qualify for an autoinsurance discount during that time, since the risk of accidentis reduced while they're away.Be a good role model for your teen. Always wear yourseatbelt; follow traffic laws, and remember that children oftenmimic what their parents do. The better example you set whiledriving, the better driver your teen will most likelybe--resulting in lower car insurance rates.Encourage safe driving habits. Initiate conversationsabout the risks of distractions, drinking and driving, and lackof sufficient sleep before driving. Discuss with your teen howusing a cell phone, talking to friends or listening to music candistract the attention and cause an accident, further escalatingauto insurance costs.Limit the amount of time your teenager may drive without yoursupervision. Many states have already reduced their rate ofteen accident by restricting the amount of time new drivers maybe on the road without adult supervision. So take responsibilityfor your teen's driving time; you'll help keep your childsafe--and keep autoinsurance rates low. The ResultsBy planning ahead and taking decisive action, you and your childcan safely navigate the teenage years and keep auto insuranceincreases to a minimum. All it takes is a little time, effort and--mostimportantly--communication!______________________________________________________________________About InsureMe InsureMe, an Englewood, Colorado-based company, links agentsnationwide with consumers shopping for insurance. Specializingin home, life, long-term care, health and car insurance quotes, theInsureMe network provides thousands of agents with insurance leads everyyear. For more information, visit InsureMe.com.
|
