It can be a very exciting and scary moment when your teen is officially allowed to hit the streets as a licensed driver. It’s exciting to start to see your kid begin to mature and develop more independence into a young adult, but at the same time it can cause a lot of stress and worry.
And rightfully so…..
Teenage Driving Statistics:
Car crashes are the number 1 cause of death among teens
The crash rate for a teen is 4x the rate for adults
Crash rate is higher for teens at night if others are in the car
16 year olds crash rate is 2x the rate then 18 and 19 year olds
Not only are teenagers a high risk of losing their life but they are also a huge liability when it comes to making sure you provide sufficient insurance coverage for their early years. This results in astronomical insurance rates.
Instead of worrying and losing sleep at night thinking about how to solve these problems, we have created a list of action items to decrease the danger for your teen and their auto insurance premiums as much as possible.
To ensure you are setting up your teen to thrive as a responsible, safe, driver on the roads, here are some best practices:
Choose the Right Vehicle
The vehicle you want your teen to start their driving career should be known as a reliable, safe, and relatively easy-to-drive car. (Check out top recommended cars for teens.) You will notice that these cars do not have high horsepower because most teens will want to test their limits and underestimate the power of acceleration in certain vehicles.
Some other characteristics to look for in a car is size. Bigger and heavier vehicles take longer to accelerate, provide a higher view to overlook the road and traffic, and provide more safety for your teen if heaven forbid they were to get in an accident. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is another mission critical feature to have in a car which provides stability and control on curves and slippery roads.
Prepare for Success
The are many ways to prepare for success when it comes to helping your teen feel confident on the roads but nothing is better than practice. Your teen should practice 70 hours either by themselves or with you before they even consider driving with a passenger that is not a trustworthy adult. This will allow them to become comfortable, confident, and responsible when they start driving friends around.
At first, limit their time at night, complex road-systems, and during extreme weather conditions. Obviously all three of these scenarios must be mastered to become a well rounded, responsible driver, but at the beginning start out simple and easy.
Once your teen masters roads that are straightforward during the day, you can then have them transition into the same routes at night. After that, you can propose specific roads in your areas that are more complex like roundabouts, 5 way intersections, and highways. Then, they can try these scenarios at night. Finally, the most difficult challenge as a new driver or driver overall is adapting to weather conditions. Slippery, icy, and sleek roads are extremely dangerous so limited practice with a trusted adult is highly recommended once you are ready for it. Then once you are able to drive on weathered roads at night you empowered to become a responsible and successful driver.
Lastly, as a teen driver you do not want to be in a rush. Please ensure your teen understand the importance of having adequate time to arrive to places in order to drive responsibly versus swerving through traffic and going through yellow lights. This will empower your teen to follow the speed limit as well.
Ninja Tactics to Reduce Auto Rates ASAP
Assign your teen to the least expensive car you own: With one simple adjustment on your auto policy you could save hundreds and even thousands of dollars per month. Make sure you assign your teen to the car that would be the least expensive to replace if it were to get totaled.
Good student discount: This discount can save you hundreds by simply obtaining one of the following: full time student status (12 credit hour min.), maintain a “B average” (3.0 or higher), dean’s list, honors, rank in the top percentile in your graduating class, and/or rank in the top percentile for your ACT and/or SAT test scores.
Telematics: it’s an insurance data-base usage tool that tracks the following metrics: number of miles driven, time of day you drive, and driving behaviors such as hard acceleration or braking. The less you drive, the less you drive during rush hour and night, and the less you accelerate or brake quickly will result in lower premiums. Different insurance companies measure various metrics differently by using an app, a device you attach in your car, or sometimes even a camera.
If you would like to see if you could make any of the adjustments listed above and save hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month on your premiums, contact us at 216-696-3000.
Be a Role Model for Your Teens
1/3 of teens crash from speeding. One great way to lower the possibility of this occurring for your teen is through setting the example. Any time your teen is with you make sure you follow the speed limit. You do not want to be a hypocrite.
In addition to following the speed limit, make sure you stay away from multitasking while you drive such as: texting, calling, eating, personal makeup or grooming, and especially drinking. Finally, always wear your seat belt to inspire your teen to follow and do likewise.
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