Young Drivers Insurance
Brief Overview of Young Driver’s Insurance
Unfortunately, young drivers account for an excessive number of car crashes in the U.S. with car crashes being the 2nd leading cause of death among teens.* Lack of driving experience is one of the main reasons why there is such a high rate of crashes among young drivers, with immaturity being another important factor. We all know that when you were young, you had little or no fear when it came to riding your bike or jumping into rivers or lakes. So when you transfer this lack of fear and experience of driving, you can understand that teens would be more likely to tailgate or speed without fear of any consequences.
GDL
Each state here in the U.S. has adopted one or more components of a Graduated Drivers License (GDL) system. Graduated licensing requires a more rigid learning course before granting young drivers between the ages of 15 and 18 a license with full driving privileges. Graduated licensing consists of 3 phases:
Phase 1 - Learner Permit
The conditions and recommendations include an eye/vision test, a road knowledge test, the requirement to drive whilst accompanied by a fully licensed adult, the use of safety belts by all car occupants, and 6 months with no crashes or convictions for traffic offenses.
Phase 2 - Intermediate License
This includes the completion of the first phase along with the following - a practical road test, advanced driver training, at night driving whilst being accompanied by a licensed adult, and twelve straight months with no crashes or convictions for traffic offenses before reaching the final phase.
Phase 3 - Full License
Why GDL?
A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in 2012 found that the death rate fell by 68% for 16-year-old drivers from 1996 to 2010. During the same period, the death rate in older teen drivers fell 59% for 17-year-olds, 52% for 18-year-olds, and 47% for 19-year-olds. The IIHS believes that the reduction in deaths is due to the adoption of GDL laws and said that if every state adopted all 5 of the most stringent laws identified, about 500 lives could be saved and 9,500 collisions stopped each year.
How to reduce the cost of young teen driver’s insurance?
Quotes for a teen or a young driver’s car insurance are always more expensive than for other drivers because as a group they pose a higher chance of getting in an accident. Adding a teenager to an insurance policy could mean a substantial increase in the parents’ insurance premium. Some insurance companies offer deals for students with good grades. The Good Student Discount is generally available to students who have a grade point average of a B or higher. Many companies offer programs that promote safe driving practices, such as safety courses run online for young drivers and parents.
Some insurance companies are subsidizing the cost of electronic monitoring gizmos that parents can fit into their cars to scrutinize the way teens drive and by offering discounts to policyholders with teens who use these gadgets.
Progressive’s MyRate program, which can be used by all drivers, uses a black box to record speed, braking, time of day, and distance covered. The information is evaluated for deals on renewal.
The American Family Insurance Company has supplied families with a DriveCam video camera that alerts parents when their young driver makes a mistake. The program includes deals for families that use the camera.
Safeco Insurance (Liberty Mutual) uses GPS to monitor teen drivers and allows parents to monitor their child’s driving in real-time.
Allstate offers Star Driver, an app that lets parents set rules for when, where, and how fast their child is allowed to drive, with alerts for parents when they overstep these rules.
Get a quote for a young driver’s car insurance?
Phone one of our licensed agents or compare car insurance quotes online with our free Quick Quote tool. We will search the top young drivers and teen car insurance companies nationwide to find you a list of insurance plans to choose from. And when we say the top insurance companies, we mean it! We work with Farmers, Travelers, Liberty Mutual, Mercury, Nationwide, and many more carriers to find you quotes in less than 5 minutes.
*U.S. Centers for Disease Control