HELP! My Teen Will Be Driving Soon!

October 18^th through the 24^th is National Teen Driving Safety Week so let’s talk about what parents can do to help teens be a better driver and what to expect when shopping for insurance for them.

Our kids learn from us all the time. When my kids were little, I often heard, “They’re like little sponges. They pick up everything.” Isn’t that the truth? They pick up what you say and how you do things very early on in their lives. This also goes for how you handle yourself while driving. And just when you think they are completely zoned in on their phones, tablets or a movie they are watching. 

Here are a few tips to follow, especially when your kids, babies thru teenagers, are in the car:

• Be a good driver – Remember, they are watching you, even if they have their faces in their phones or tablets. Be the example by not being on your phone while you’re driving, control your road rage and obey the traffic signs. I know there are some not so safe drivers out there so drive defensively but stay calm.
• Put them in Driver’s Ed- There are people out there that are trained to teach our teens how to drive so let them. Sign them up for Driver’s Ed. Less stress for you and probably for your teen as well. OH!!! And it could very well help with a discount on your auto insurance. More on that later…
• Give them rules – You’re the boss so you get to say when they can drive and who they can have in the car. Farmers has an article, Parents of Teen Drivers that suggests even to write out a contract with them, listing what the guidelines are and what you expect of them while they are behind the wheel. As time goes, if none of the rules are broken, maybe that can mean they gain more drive time or some sort of a rewards for sticking to the rules.  
•    Be real with them about driving risks – Talk to them about the dangers of drinking and driving. Also talk to them about the dangers of distracted driving with their phones, the radio, even a passenger. Sit down with them and really dig into the dangers of drinking and driving and with distracted driving. It’s not meant to scare them but to raise awareness of the possible dangers that can happen when behind the wheel.

Have you started shopping for Auto Insurance for your teen?  Is it better to put them on your existing policy or set them up with their own policy? There are benefits to both. If you put them on your policy, although it may raise your rates, they could get the same benefits you have and get a discount. Now here’s the reason you may want to get them their own. *Car accidents for teens 16-17 are three times higher than the general population. Some families decided to go with setting them up on their own to keep their insurance clean, just in case their teen were to get in an accident.

Once you decide on whether to add your teen to your account or separately, we can look into what kind of coverage to get for them. Will the car they are driving be a used or a new car? Will they be driving with others in the car besides siblings?  Do you go with just liability if it’s an older car? Would you need to add any other coverage for your teen driver? These are all things we can look at because having the right insurance is NO accident.

With the possibility of high rates with a teen on your policy and talk of possible extra coverage, I’m sure you’re wanting to know more about any possible discounts that can help lower premiums. Well there are a few Classroom Discounts :

• Driver’s Education – Did your teen go through a state-approved drivers education course? If so, this can qualify for a discount.
• Good Student – For High School students, with at least a B average and College Students with at least a 3.0, discount! Is your student is on the Honor Roll or the Dean’s list? Discount! Are they in the top 20% of their class and/or top 20% in national standardized tests? Discount! It pays, or discounts, to be a good student. Parents are then rewarded.
• Distant Student- If your teen driver is off at school and it's +100 miles from home, discount!
• Multi-car – Putting your teen driver on your policy can also give you a discount.

It happens in the blink of an eye. One day they are little ones, getting into everything they can and then next they are getting into a car to drive themselves to and from places. The best things for us to do is be the example or as Parents of Teen Drivers says, “Think of yourself as a road role model, and drive that way.”  

"So it's simple: You burn me, you fail. You don't, you pass." -DMV Examiner, License to Drive 

*Information was taken from Car Insurance Shopping for Teens and Parents of Teen Drivers. The information taken from these articles is provided for general informational purposes only. The information is not meant as professional or expert advice, and any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. 

**Information taken from Insurance Institute for Highway safety