Insurance Savings Tips With Teens

Sure, the idea of keeping your kids off the road forever might be a good one, but we all know that doesn’t work forever. So what do you do when your teen is ready to get behind the wheel and you’re crunching the numbers for what it might do to your insurance bill? Adding a teenaged driver to your family’s insurance policy can spike your rates upwards of 80% sometimes. But it doesn’t have to be such a steep increase. With a little creative thinking and some inquiries into your current insurance company (and other companies, too), you can face a much more reasonable increase. Give these things a shot and see how you shake out.

Driver’s Ed Matters

Half the reason rates increase so sharply when you add a teen onto your policy is because of the lack of experience. If your teen is taking (and passes) Driver’s Ed, there are discounts available. Completing a Driver’s Ed course proves to your insurance company that they have taken the time to not only learn, on paper, the rules of the road, but have had some time to practice them under a supervised eye, too.

Check that Report Card

That “Stay in School” slogan is good for more than just getting your kids through high school and into college. And those good grades on their report card might be worth more than a better shot at scholarships, too. Many insurance agencies offer discounts for good grades that can help lower the impact of adding your teen to your family’s policy, too.

Ask About Discount Programs

Though new drivers are unlikely to be eligible for many discounts that are available to drivers who have been on the road for awhile, they may be eligible to take part in smart driving discount programs that operate based off of a device plugged into your vehicle for 30-90 days. These programs aren’t always the best bet, but if your teen driver follows the rules of the road and doesn’t have a lead-foot problem, you could save big. Because these programs work based off data collected by the vehicles and not a rate assigned due to age, it’s your teen’s chance to shine.

Accept the Inevitable

No matter how careful your teen is on the road, you’re still likely to deal with the follies of an inexperienced driver. Saving as much money as you can is great, but there’s still a 50% chance that your teen will be one of the half that are involved in a car crash before they graduate high school. Sometimes knowing that this is a possibility (and maybe even an inevitability) can help take the pressure off you and your kid. Mistakes happen, and as long as you have insurance that can keep you covered when they do, you should be good to go.

Putting a new driver on the road is a nerve-wracking experience. It’s exciting and terrifying. Lessen the fear by knowing that even if your teen does find themselves in an accident, the team at Accurate Auto Body is here for your auto body repair to help you get back on your feet and back on the road as fast as possible.