While teenagers look forward to getting their driver’s licenses, their parents often face this juncture of their children’s lives with fear and trepidation. Car accidents are a leading cause of severe injuries and death among teenagers all across the U.S.. Local insurance agent Mike Stromsoe, owner of Stromsoe Insurance Agency, has been committed to changing that trend in the Southern California area since his teenage son’s best friend died in a car accident. Stromsoe has dedicated his resources for helping families prevent similar tragedy. His website, www.teendriverinsurance.com/stromsoe contains many useful tools to help parents keep their kids safe. He also writes a free monthly e-zine, “Driver’s Seat,” for which people subscribe through the website. Recently retired, Police Officer and Accident Investigator James Poer contributes to the newsletter.
Stromsoe is also a charter member of the Society of Family Insurance Specialists which is a national organization of insurance agents that are committed to helping families protect themselves through education and insurance protection.
The Society recently released the Safe Teen Driver Guide that was co-authored by Stromsoe, Officer Poer, David Evans, a certified driving instructor and other members of the Society. “One of the most common reasons why teenagers get into so many accidents is that they just don’t have enough experience behind the wheel.” Explains Stromsoe. Driver education experts recommend at least 100 hours behind the wheel before driving unsupervised.
“Parents need to take the responsibility to provide their teens with more driving experience.” Said Officer Poer. “This new home study Safe Teen Driver Guide gives parents a tool that can help their teen experience the most common driving skills while being supervised.”
The Safe Teen Driver Guide provides a step by step outline of driving skills and practice exercises that parents can use to teach their teen to drive. “This time in a child’s life is exciting and should be enjoyed by the entire family.” Says Stromsoe. “By using this guide, parents can spend time with their child and make this experience most enjoyable. Plus, it gives parents peace of mind knowing that their child is a safer driver.”
You can learn more about the Safe Teen Driver Guide by visiting www.safeteendrivercourse.com, or contact Mike’s office at 951-600-5751 or 877-994.6787.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Teaching Your New Driver Vehicle Orientation and Maintenance
Before starting to drive perform a quick safety check of the vehicle. Now is a good time to have a brief discussion about vehicle maintenance. Explain basic maintenance items such as when oil changes are due and proper tire inflation. Verify that all lights and turn signals are functioning properly and free of obstruction.
Safety Tip: For emergency purposes, teach your teen to keep at least ¼ tank of gas in the car at all times. You do not want them running out of gas in an unsafe area. Additionally, you will avoid the frustration of having to unexpectedly stop for gas when your teen has been driving your car.
Safety Tip: Hazard lights. Make sure your teen knows how to locate and turn on the hazard lights in each of your cars!
Familiarize your teen with the location and operation of the vehicle controls. It is important that your teen is comfortable in the driver’s seat. Today’s newer cars are capable of adjusting the seat, mirrors, steering wheel, brake pedal and accelerator. Review proper operation of the heater, air conditioning, cruise control and wiper blades.
Safety Tip: Hazard lights. Make sure your teen knows how to locate and turn on the hazard lights in each of your cars!
Explain the dashboard gauges and their purpose. Taking the time to explain the gauges will help maintain the vehicle in proper working condition. Furthermore, it may save you a large repair bill. After all, the time for your teen to understand the temperature gauge is not after the car has overheated! A good habit to form is maintaining a mileage log. The log should detail the date, miles on the vehicle, the number of gallons of gas added and the miles per gallon obtained on the prior tank of gas. When the gas mileage decreases it is an early warning signal that the engine needs maintenance.
I strongly recommend that you have your teen change a tire before he/she obtains their license. With the prevalence of cell phones, many parents assume their teen can call them or AAA for assistance. Depending on the location and time of day, it may take 2-3 hours before assistance can arrive.
Safety Tip: Tire jacks can KILL! Practice with them the proper use and ‘placement of the jack”. People die from this every year. Don’t forget to show them how to chock the tires.
Safety Tip: It is very dangerous to change a tire on the highway. Call the state police to assure drivers move over and the safety of your teen.
Safety Tip: Maintain an Emergency kit in the trunk complete with: flares, a flashlight and batteries. Practice lighting flares.
Insurance Tip: Roadside Service is part of the Teensurance Program from Safeco. Help will be dispatched to help change tires or even deliver gas!
Hope this helps your family and brings everyone home safely!
Please call our office anytime with any questions 951-600-5751
Safety Tip: For emergency purposes, teach your teen to keep at least ¼ tank of gas in the car at all times. You do not want them running out of gas in an unsafe area. Additionally, you will avoid the frustration of having to unexpectedly stop for gas when your teen has been driving your car.
Safety Tip: Hazard lights. Make sure your teen knows how to locate and turn on the hazard lights in each of your cars!
Familiarize your teen with the location and operation of the vehicle controls. It is important that your teen is comfortable in the driver’s seat. Today’s newer cars are capable of adjusting the seat, mirrors, steering wheel, brake pedal and accelerator. Review proper operation of the heater, air conditioning, cruise control and wiper blades.
Safety Tip: Hazard lights. Make sure your teen knows how to locate and turn on the hazard lights in each of your cars!
Explain the dashboard gauges and their purpose. Taking the time to explain the gauges will help maintain the vehicle in proper working condition. Furthermore, it may save you a large repair bill. After all, the time for your teen to understand the temperature gauge is not after the car has overheated! A good habit to form is maintaining a mileage log. The log should detail the date, miles on the vehicle, the number of gallons of gas added and the miles per gallon obtained on the prior tank of gas. When the gas mileage decreases it is an early warning signal that the engine needs maintenance.
I strongly recommend that you have your teen change a tire before he/she obtains their license. With the prevalence of cell phones, many parents assume their teen can call them or AAA for assistance. Depending on the location and time of day, it may take 2-3 hours before assistance can arrive.
Safety Tip: Tire jacks can KILL! Practice with them the proper use and ‘placement of the jack”. People die from this every year. Don’t forget to show them how to chock the tires.
Safety Tip: It is very dangerous to change a tire on the highway. Call the state police to assure drivers move over and the safety of your teen.
Safety Tip: Maintain an Emergency kit in the trunk complete with: flares, a flashlight and batteries. Practice lighting flares.
Insurance Tip: Roadside Service is part of the Teensurance Program from Safeco. Help will be dispatched to help change tires or even deliver gas!
Hope this helps your family and brings everyone home safely!
Please call our office anytime with any questions 951-600-5751
Friday, August 1, 2008
Why Insurance Rates for Teens Are So High?
Why Insurance Rates for Teens Are So High?
By Mike Stromsoe, Founding Member of the Society of Family Insurance Specialists
As an insurance agent, this is probably one of the most frustrating responses I get from parents who are adding their teen to their car insurance. I understand this frustration and after I explain the reasons, they usually respond with “But, my teen is a good driver…”
That may be true and you’ve probably spent countless hours helping your teen become a safer driver. If you have, then you should be glad that the chances of your teen getting into an accident will be less likely than most teens on the road. But let me emphasize… Less Likely Than Other Teens… not experienced drivers.
It takes thousands of hours behind the wheel to get the experience to avoid accidents and become the safest of drivers. And this can take years. Here’s a statistic to prove this point.
The crash rate for 16 year olds is nearly 3 times higher than 19 years and nearly 6 times higher than drivers 20 to 24 years old.
Unfortunately, you are going to have to pay high rates for your teen to drive. But, you can take steps to avoid paying the highest rates and keep them down.
Step One- Use an insurance agent that specializes in insuring teen drivers. Family Insurance Specialists represent companies that offer good rates but most importantly offer quality insurance protection that can help you avoid paying out of your own pocket for an accident if your teen causes an accident.
Step Two- Make sure you are getting every discount you deserve. Available discounts may include safe driver, claims-free, good grades, multiple policies with the same company, and in some states you can qualify for a lower rate by keeping a good credit rating.
Step Three- Buy a safe, older, lower profile vehicle for your teen to drive. Make sure it has airbags and anti-lock brakes and is not considered a dangerous vehicle. Your Family Insurance Specialist can help you decide which vehicles are least expensive to insure.
Step Four- Increase your deductibles or drop the collision on older vehicles. If your teen is driving an older, less expensive car, you can “self insure” the car. That means of course, if something happens, you’ll have to pay for the damages to your car, but it can save you a lot of money- nearly 1/3 to 1/2!
Step Five- Get a Teen Driver Monitoring Device installed in your teen’s car. In some states, some insurance companies offer special discounts for these systems. The greatest advantage of these systems is that this will most likely prevent your teen from speeding. Speeding tickets can greatly increase your insurance rates and jeopardize your insurance coverage. Insurance companies know that if a teen driver gets a speeding ticket, the likelihood of an accident in the near future is great. You could get cancelled and it may be more difficult to get another insurance company to pick you up.
To learn more about how you can get the right protection for your teen driver, find out other ways you can save on your car insurance, and keep your teen driver safe, sign up for exclusive VIP access at www.teendriverinsurance.com/stromsoe or call our office toll-free @ 877.994.6787
By Mike Stromsoe, Founding Member of the Society of Family Insurance Specialists
As an insurance agent, this is probably one of the most frustrating responses I get from parents who are adding their teen to their car insurance. I understand this frustration and after I explain the reasons, they usually respond with “But, my teen is a good driver…”
That may be true and you’ve probably spent countless hours helping your teen become a safer driver. If you have, then you should be glad that the chances of your teen getting into an accident will be less likely than most teens on the road. But let me emphasize… Less Likely Than Other Teens… not experienced drivers.
It takes thousands of hours behind the wheel to get the experience to avoid accidents and become the safest of drivers. And this can take years. Here’s a statistic to prove this point.
The crash rate for 16 year olds is nearly 3 times higher than 19 years and nearly 6 times higher than drivers 20 to 24 years old.
Unfortunately, you are going to have to pay high rates for your teen to drive. But, you can take steps to avoid paying the highest rates and keep them down.
Step One- Use an insurance agent that specializes in insuring teen drivers. Family Insurance Specialists represent companies that offer good rates but most importantly offer quality insurance protection that can help you avoid paying out of your own pocket for an accident if your teen causes an accident.
Step Two- Make sure you are getting every discount you deserve. Available discounts may include safe driver, claims-free, good grades, multiple policies with the same company, and in some states you can qualify for a lower rate by keeping a good credit rating.
Step Three- Buy a safe, older, lower profile vehicle for your teen to drive. Make sure it has airbags and anti-lock brakes and is not considered a dangerous vehicle. Your Family Insurance Specialist can help you decide which vehicles are least expensive to insure.
Step Four- Increase your deductibles or drop the collision on older vehicles. If your teen is driving an older, less expensive car, you can “self insure” the car. That means of course, if something happens, you’ll have to pay for the damages to your car, but it can save you a lot of money- nearly 1/3 to 1/2!
Step Five- Get a Teen Driver Monitoring Device installed in your teen’s car. In some states, some insurance companies offer special discounts for these systems. The greatest advantage of these systems is that this will most likely prevent your teen from speeding. Speeding tickets can greatly increase your insurance rates and jeopardize your insurance coverage. Insurance companies know that if a teen driver gets a speeding ticket, the likelihood of an accident in the near future is great. You could get cancelled and it may be more difficult to get another insurance company to pick you up.
To learn more about how you can get the right protection for your teen driver, find out other ways you can save on your car insurance, and keep your teen driver safe, sign up for exclusive VIP access at www.teendriverinsurance.com/stromsoe or call our office toll-free @ 877.994.6787
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Top 5 Mistakes Teen Drivers Make
God bless the little darlings. They were born innocent and still are in many ways. They simply don't know any better when they are given their freedom(drivers license) which comes with some training, but like anything else, most of the real training comes on the job. Here are the 5 most challenging mistakes inexperienced drivers make:
1. Speeding. The faster a vehicle is traveling the longer it will take to bring the vehicle to a stop. Most teens understand this concept, however, the distance needed to stop increases exponentially as speed increases.
2. Distractions. Their biggest problem is they do not pay attention to their driving! Teens are constantly changing radio stations and C.D.’s. An increasingly popular and time consuming activity is talking on their cell phone or text messaging from their cell phone. Safety Tip; Don’t call your teen when you know that they are driving. It is amazing how often parents do this!
3. Overcorrecting. Many teen will take turns at too high of speeds, will then overcorrect and lose control of their vehicle.
4. Following too Close. This is the one thing that could prevent the largest number of accidents! If teens would just increase their following distance, then many times they could avoid an accident because they will have time to take evasive action. The correct following distance is two car lengths for every 10 miles per hour.
5. Failure to Yield. Many teens simply do not understand which vehicle has the right of way.
Please take some time and look at all of the tools our teen driver safety site has to offer at www.teendriverinsurance.com/stromsoe. Summer is a really good time to spend a few minutes or hours here.
If we can answer any quetions, please call our office at 951-600-5751.
May safe and slower travels be in your drivers seat.
1. Speeding. The faster a vehicle is traveling the longer it will take to bring the vehicle to a stop. Most teens understand this concept, however, the distance needed to stop increases exponentially as speed increases.
2. Distractions. Their biggest problem is they do not pay attention to their driving! Teens are constantly changing radio stations and C.D.’s. An increasingly popular and time consuming activity is talking on their cell phone or text messaging from their cell phone. Safety Tip; Don’t call your teen when you know that they are driving. It is amazing how often parents do this!
3. Overcorrecting. Many teen will take turns at too high of speeds, will then overcorrect and lose control of their vehicle.
4. Following too Close. This is the one thing that could prevent the largest number of accidents! If teens would just increase their following distance, then many times they could avoid an accident because they will have time to take evasive action. The correct following distance is two car lengths for every 10 miles per hour.
5. Failure to Yield. Many teens simply do not understand which vehicle has the right of way.
Please take some time and look at all of the tools our teen driver safety site has to offer at www.teendriverinsurance.com/stromsoe. Summer is a really good time to spend a few minutes or hours here.
If we can answer any quetions, please call our office at 951-600-5751.
May safe and slower travels be in your drivers seat.
Monday, June 9, 2008
The Social Lives of Most Teenagers Tend to Revolve Around Their Cell Phones -- Even When They Are Behind the Wheel…..So What Does This Mean?
"People don't want to be inaccessible for even 15 minutes driving up the street," said Harrison, 19, a sophomore at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. "They're so used to being accessible all the time."
Targeting inexperienced motorists, several states have passed laws during the past five years restricting cell phone use by teenage drivers.
But a recently released insurance industry study looked at whether teens are ignoring such restrictions contends enforcement and parental influence are just as important as new laws. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studied specific state laws which fine motorists under age 18 who are caught using a cell phone.
Researchers who watched as high school students left school found that teenage drivers used their cell phones at about the same rate both before and after the laws took effect. In South Carolina, which does not have a similar restriction, cell phone use by teenage drivers was about the same for both periods studied.
A separate phone survey of parents and teenagers showed widespread support for their state's law, but more than three in five reported that enforcement was rare or nonexistent.
"Cell phone bans for teen drivers are difficult to enforce," said Anne McCartt, the institute's senior vice president for research and an author of the study. "Drivers with phones to their ears aren't hard to spot, but it's nearly impossible for police officers to see hands free devices or correctly guess how old drivers are."
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, according to the government's auto safety agency, and teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers.
The institute says 17 states and the District of Columbia have cell phone restrictions in licensing requirements for teen drivers. The National Transportation Safety Board in 2003 recommended that states limit or bar young drivers from using cell phones, leading many states to act.
Harrison, who serves with Students Against Destructive Decisions, an advocacy group focused on highway safety issues, said few of her friends know about laws banning cell phone use by novice drivers.
Bill Bronrott, a Maryland state delegate who sponsored a successful bill in 2005 prohibiting rookie drivers under 18 from using cell phones, except to make 911 emergency calls, said a "combination of education and enforcement" was critical. So, too, parental involvement.
Added Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association: "What these kinds of laws do is send the message to the parent more than anything else."
In the North Carolina study, researchers found that 11 percent of teenage drivers observed departing 25 high schools during the two months before the ban took effect were using cell phones. About five months after the ban took effect, during the spring of 2007, nearly 12 percent were observed using phones.
In South Carolina, observers found that 13 percent of high school students departing 18 high schools used cell phones while driving. The rates were consistent during the same two time periods studied in North Carolina.
In the North Carolina phone survey, 95 percent of parents and 74 percent of teenagers supported the restriction. But 71 percent of teens and 60 percent of parents felt that enforcement was rare or nonexistent.
In North Carolina, 37 citations were issued in 2007 by the state highway patrol to teens using a cell phone while operating a vehicle. Twenty-eight citations have been issued in 2008.
Selena Childs, executive director of the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force, said in an e-mail that with many child safety laws in the state, "knowing that it's against the law is enough for many people to choose to comply with a law."
Childs said the state's driver's license system for young drivers has been effective "not so much because of law enforcement/citations, but because parents and teens self-enforce the law, resulting in reduced crashes."
Matt Sundeen, a transportation analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures, said many state laws on cell phones are new, making it difficult to assess their impact. He said more states are considering similar restrictions.
The institute conducted two separate telephone surveys: the first, before the cell phone restriction took effect, was in November 2006 and involved 400 pairs of parents and teenagers; the second, after the law had taken effect, was in April 2007 and involved a different sample of 401 pairs of parents and teenagers. Each survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Please share your thoughts here to help keep our young drivers safe and alive!
Targeting inexperienced motorists, several states have passed laws during the past five years restricting cell phone use by teenage drivers.
But a recently released insurance industry study looked at whether teens are ignoring such restrictions contends enforcement and parental influence are just as important as new laws. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studied specific state laws which fine motorists under age 18 who are caught using a cell phone.
Researchers who watched as high school students left school found that teenage drivers used their cell phones at about the same rate both before and after the laws took effect. In South Carolina, which does not have a similar restriction, cell phone use by teenage drivers was about the same for both periods studied.
A separate phone survey of parents and teenagers showed widespread support for their state's law, but more than three in five reported that enforcement was rare or nonexistent.
"Cell phone bans for teen drivers are difficult to enforce," said Anne McCartt, the institute's senior vice president for research and an author of the study. "Drivers with phones to their ears aren't hard to spot, but it's nearly impossible for police officers to see hands free devices or correctly guess how old drivers are."
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, according to the government's auto safety agency, and teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers.
The institute says 17 states and the District of Columbia have cell phone restrictions in licensing requirements for teen drivers. The National Transportation Safety Board in 2003 recommended that states limit or bar young drivers from using cell phones, leading many states to act.
Harrison, who serves with Students Against Destructive Decisions, an advocacy group focused on highway safety issues, said few of her friends know about laws banning cell phone use by novice drivers.
Bill Bronrott, a Maryland state delegate who sponsored a successful bill in 2005 prohibiting rookie drivers under 18 from using cell phones, except to make 911 emergency calls, said a "combination of education and enforcement" was critical. So, too, parental involvement.
Added Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association: "What these kinds of laws do is send the message to the parent more than anything else."
In the North Carolina study, researchers found that 11 percent of teenage drivers observed departing 25 high schools during the two months before the ban took effect were using cell phones. About five months after the ban took effect, during the spring of 2007, nearly 12 percent were observed using phones.
In South Carolina, observers found that 13 percent of high school students departing 18 high schools used cell phones while driving. The rates were consistent during the same two time periods studied in North Carolina.
In the North Carolina phone survey, 95 percent of parents and 74 percent of teenagers supported the restriction. But 71 percent of teens and 60 percent of parents felt that enforcement was rare or nonexistent.
In North Carolina, 37 citations were issued in 2007 by the state highway patrol to teens using a cell phone while operating a vehicle. Twenty-eight citations have been issued in 2008.
Selena Childs, executive director of the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force, said in an e-mail that with many child safety laws in the state, "knowing that it's against the law is enough for many people to choose to comply with a law."
Childs said the state's driver's license system for young drivers has been effective "not so much because of law enforcement/citations, but because parents and teens self-enforce the law, resulting in reduced crashes."
Matt Sundeen, a transportation analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures, said many state laws on cell phones are new, making it difficult to assess their impact. He said more states are considering similar restrictions.
The institute conducted two separate telephone surveys: the first, before the cell phone restriction took effect, was in November 2006 and involved 400 pairs of parents and teenagers; the second, after the law had taken effect, was in April 2007 and involved a different sample of 401 pairs of parents and teenagers. Each survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Please share your thoughts here to help keep our young drivers safe and alive!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
News Alert Free Installation of GPS Teen Driver Monitoring System
Hi,
I just received some exciting news from one of our insurance companies, Safeco. This company has been on the leading edge of teen driver safety and working to reduce the number of accidents involving teen drivers.
Last summer, they launched a new system called Teensurance to help their customers keep their kids safe. This is a GPS based system that is installed in the teen's car and alerts parents of dangerous behaviors such as speeding, driving beyond an allowed territory and breaking curfew.
Well, Safeco just announced that they are now offering this system to any parent that wants to get this system installed in their kid's vehicle. They will pay for the installation and the unit if the parent agrees to a 2 year contract. Similar systems can cost as much as $800.
There is a $14.99 per month monitoring fee which gives the parent website access to create and adjust the parameters for the alerts, view the location of the vehicle and it will even allow you to un-lock the car doors in case your teen gets locked out.
Along with the GPS system comes roadside assistance and other teen driver safety tools.
If you would like more information, visit my website www.teendriverinsurance.com/stromsoe or call my office at 951.600.5751
Mike
PS Safeco is offering a 15% discount for anyone that is a Safeco customer or that becomes a customer. This 15% discount, in most cases, will pay for the monitoring fee just from the savings on their insurance. Call my office to become a Safeco customer and take advantage of this big discount. Considering the high rates for teen drivers, this could really be significant.
I just received some exciting news from one of our insurance companies, Safeco. This company has been on the leading edge of teen driver safety and working to reduce the number of accidents involving teen drivers.
Last summer, they launched a new system called Teensurance to help their customers keep their kids safe. This is a GPS based system that is installed in the teen's car and alerts parents of dangerous behaviors such as speeding, driving beyond an allowed territory and breaking curfew.
Well, Safeco just announced that they are now offering this system to any parent that wants to get this system installed in their kid's vehicle. They will pay for the installation and the unit if the parent agrees to a 2 year contract. Similar systems can cost as much as $800.
There is a $14.99 per month monitoring fee which gives the parent website access to create and adjust the parameters for the alerts, view the location of the vehicle and it will even allow you to un-lock the car doors in case your teen gets locked out.
Along with the GPS system comes roadside assistance and other teen driver safety tools.
If you would like more information, visit my website www.teendriverinsurance.com/stromsoe or call my office at 951.600.5751
Mike
PS Safeco is offering a 15% discount for anyone that is a Safeco customer or that becomes a customer. This 15% discount, in most cases, will pay for the monitoring fee just from the savings on their insurance. Call my office to become a Safeco customer and take advantage of this big discount. Considering the high rates for teen drivers, this could really be significant.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Study Reveals That After School is a Dangerous Time for Teens
Most parents have always been concerned about their teen driver children when they head out on the road at night. And rightfully so. Driving at night is a very dangerous time for teens. But, a recent study shows that the time right after school is also a very high risk time for teen drivers.A study by AAA indicates that weekday afternoon driving time is almost as dangerous for teens as night driving. The researchers studied the number of fatal crashes involving teens between 2002 and 2005.
They found that 16 and 17 years olds were involved in almost as many fatal crashes between 3 and 5 pm on weekdays as they were on Friday and Saturday nights between 9 pm and 2 am. There were 1100 weekday fatal accidents and 1237 weekend evening fatal accidents.
This month, I want to share with you another costly mistake I find many parents make when insuring their teen driver.
Place the young driver on a separate policy- This is usually one of the first options many parents consider. They think if they buy a separate policy for their teen driver, the rates for their other cars won't go up.
This is a myth for three reasons:
First, there won't be a multi-policy discount for the single car on the teen's policy. This discount is usually significant and you'll lose that savings.
Second, you will have to buy your teen's policy from a "high-risk" insurer. "High-risk" insurance companies charge rates that are more than double the rates of a standard company.
Third, and the most costly reason, is that you won't be able to get the right coverage required for teen drivers from a "high-risk" insurance company. These companies offer lower liability limits because the drivers they insure have more claims that result in high lawsuits. So, they limit their exposure for each driver. And since, teen drivers have a history of high claims, this may not be enough coverage if your teen causes a serious accident. You, as the parent, will then be at risk for a lawsuit.
To make sure you and your family are properly protected, call my office today at 951.600.5751. We'll review your coverage and discuss changes that will benfit your family.
They found that 16 and 17 years olds were involved in almost as many fatal crashes between 3 and 5 pm on weekdays as they were on Friday and Saturday nights between 9 pm and 2 am. There were 1100 weekday fatal accidents and 1237 weekend evening fatal accidents.
This month, I want to share with you another costly mistake I find many parents make when insuring their teen driver.
Place the young driver on a separate policy- This is usually one of the first options many parents consider. They think if they buy a separate policy for their teen driver, the rates for their other cars won't go up.
This is a myth for three reasons:
First, there won't be a multi-policy discount for the single car on the teen's policy. This discount is usually significant and you'll lose that savings.
Second, you will have to buy your teen's policy from a "high-risk" insurer. "High-risk" insurance companies charge rates that are more than double the rates of a standard company.
Third, and the most costly reason, is that you won't be able to get the right coverage required for teen drivers from a "high-risk" insurance company. These companies offer lower liability limits because the drivers they insure have more claims that result in high lawsuits. So, they limit their exposure for each driver. And since, teen drivers have a history of high claims, this may not be enough coverage if your teen causes a serious accident. You, as the parent, will then be at risk for a lawsuit.
To make sure you and your family are properly protected, call my office today at 951.600.5751. We'll review your coverage and discuss changes that will benfit your family.
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