All About Teen Driving
You have a young driver approaching driving age. You start to panic and wonder how you are going to afford to be able to have them on your Pennsylvania car insurance policy. You hear horror stories of friends adding their son or daughter on their policy only to have it go up by thousands of dollars every year. Yes, $1,000’s every year. Is this normal you wonder? Can this really be? Well the answer to that is YES and……….NO. It doesn’t have to be that bad if you go about it the right way.
WILL RATES INCREASE FOR MY NEW TEEN DRIVER?
No doubt, it will cost more once you add your new driver to your policy. Up to 130% more. It will never cost more to add a new driver than when they first start to drive. Teens are the riskiest drivers out there and insurance companies know it. Look at the statistics on new drivers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2016, 2,433 teens in the U.S. ages 16-19 were killed while almost 300,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes. The CDC also said that six teens in the 16-19 year old age group die each day due to motor vehicle crashes and hundreds more injured.
A couple of the factors involved in determining new driver rates are as follows:
- Type of car – The year, make and model will play a role in rates. You can expect to pay substantially more for a vehicle that is considered a sports or performance car. Always call us first to get an idea of the costs of insuring your teen’s new vehicle.
- Primary or Occasional driver – Will your teen have his/her own car or will they be using one of yours. Having their own vehicle makes them a primary operator. Sharing a family car limits their driving time and therefore, lower rates.
- Males vs Females – Sorry guys, rates are higher for you. Statistics back it up as well. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in 2016, motor vehicle death rates for males were two times that of their female counterparts.
HOW CAN I LOWER MY RATES FOR MY TEEN DRIVER?
There are discounts available for your teen driver so be sure to make use of them.
- Good student discount – Most companies will give you a discount if your teen is a B or better student. You will need to provide grade reports every renewal to continue the discount.
- Drivers education – If your teen takes a driving class, they may be eligible for a discount. There are both knowledge (class based) and road courses designed to properly educate teen drivers.
- Student away at school – If your teen is away at school and does not have their car they may be eligible for another discount. Most companies require that they are at least 100 miles from home. They would still have coverage for those times when they are home on break, etc.
- Which company – Some insurance companies have notoriously better rates for new and young drivers. Other’s aren’t so new driver friendly. We can help you navigate through this and find you the best combination of coverage and pricing.