Thursday, October 29, 2009

Your Teen's First Car

I often get questions from my clients about the type of car they should buy for their teen. There is usually a great divide between the type of car the teen desires and what the parents are willing to buy from both a safety and cost perspective.

Choosing wisely will save you money on your insurance premiums and could even save your child's life. Officer Poer, who has many years experience investigating traffic accidents, provides some helpful guidance in his article below.

Perhaps you already have multiple cars, one of which your teen will be driving, and they don't meet the specifications below. If you can't afford another car, take steps to make the ones you have safer.

Particularly if these cars are sports cars, which by their design tempt everyone to speed, consider installing a monitoring system to help offset this temptation. You can learn more about the monitoring system we offer by contacting our agency or visiting our website.

I wish you and your family the best in health and happiness! P.S. Please feel free to call my office at 256-765-2200 if you have any questions or to find out how you can get the right protection at the lowest cost for your family.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Best Car for Your Teen

by Master Police Officer James Poer

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), "young novice drivers are at significant risk on the road because they lack both the judgment that comes with maturity and the skill that comes with experience." From my many years of experience investigating traffic accidents I wholeheartedly agree with this assessment and believe it is important for parents to do whatever they can to reduce the risks of driving for their teens.

The best car for your teen is the one that provides the greatest amount of safety. Instead of purchasing or letting your teen drive a large SUV (which has a higher center of gravity and thus is more likely to turn over) or a sports car, (which encourages speeding), select a midsize car no older than a 90's model, to make sure you get the best safety features (air bags, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control and mechanical seat belts).

Try to determine the crash test rating of a car before purchasing it. A few examples of cars that performed well in recent crash test ratings according to the IIHS and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are:

  • Chevrolet Impala
  • Ford Fusion
  • Honda Accord
  • Toyota Corolla
  • Volkswagen Passat

Additionally, make sure the car is reliable and in good mechanical condition. Choose a car that is easy and comfortable for the teen to drive. Make sure your child can reach all the features with ease. Take the time to make sure your teen understands all the features of the car before leaving the driveway.

How many times have you been distracted by searching for windshield wiper and light switches when driving a car that was new to you? Your teen is not prepared to handle these distractions well. So it is up to you to prevent them.

Fatal crashes involving young drivers are usually one-vehicle crashes and are often due to driver-error and/or speeding. Take the time to choose a safe car and do everything possible to reduce the chance of your teen making these mistakes.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Are You Negatively Impacting Your Teen's Driving Behavior?

We read a lot about the reasons that teenage drivers are more likely to have accidents than older, more experienced drivers. Speed, over correction, and distractions in the car are cited as being some of the most frequent contributors to teenage driving accidents.

But, let’s take a moment to examine your teen’s state of mind when they get into the car, or while they are in it with you. To promote your teen’s safety behind the wheel, do your best to provide him with an emotionally supportive and safe environment at home. Angry or emotionally upset teenage drivers are more inclined to rebel through some form of wild behavior, such as speeding or reckless driving. Monitor your teen carefully before allowing him to drive if you know he’s upset.

Additionally, if you’re one of those committed parents who are providing driver training to your teenage child, you need to make sure you exhibit patience and control your reactions to their mistakes. Parents over reacting emotionally can be as dangerous as teenagers over correcting the car. Consider the following questions:

  1. Does my teenage child know that it’s ok to make mistakes? Or does he think I’ll lose it if he does?
  2. If he models my driving behavior, will he be safe? Or am I guilty of many of the actions I’m coaching him to avoid?
  3. Is my teen too stressed to drive safely? Am I contributing to that stress?
  4. Have I made my teenage driving expectations clear?
  5. Does my teenager understand the consequences of breaking the teenage driving rules we’ve established?
  6. Do I spend too much energy worrying about what could happen?

The more you worry about anything, the worse that situation becomes, because worry wears you down and makes you less effective. Even when it comes to parenting, our kids don’t need us to worry about them; they need us to believe in them. Believing in your child’s inherently positive potential supports his belief in himself, which is something he needs to accept responsibilities and overcome challenges.

For more information on how to keep your teen driver safe and for copies of teen/parent contracts visit our website www.TeenDriverInsurance.com/AllAmerican which is dedicated soley to helping parents help their teen drivers become safer drivers.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Ask Any Parent...

Ask any parent who has just added a kid to the family's insurance policy and they'll tell you how expensive it is to have a teen behind the wheel. But the overall cost of teen driving is as tragic as it is staggering.

According to a recent report from AAA, car accidents involving drivers 15 to 17 cost society more than $34 billion in medical expenses, property damage and related costs in 2006. AAA also reports, in 2006 drivers ages 15 to 17 were involved in approximately 974,000 crashes that injured 406,427 people and killed 2,541. Here are more sobering statistics:

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens, accounting for 36 percent of all deaths in this age group.

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group, and per-miles-driven teens ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Risk is highest at age 16, and the crash rate per miles driven is twice as high for 16 year olds as it is for 18 and 19 year olds, according to the IIHS.

IIHS statistics show that 16- and 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger.

Parents can reduce the high cost of insuring their teen drivers. There are special discounts that can really make a big difference in how much you will have to pay for your teen to drive. Some of these discounts include:

  1. Good Student- If you teen driver has a "B" average or better, you can save up to 10%.
  2. Multi-policy- If you insure your home and cars with the same company, you can save up to 15% on both policies
  3. GPS Teen Driver Monitoring System- There is one company that offers a 15% discount for installing this unit in the teen driver's car
  4. Safe Driver- If your family has a clean driving and claims record, you can save up to 15%
  5. Good credit- Some companies reward responsible customers based on their credit. This can be very significant and can save you as much as 35%.

The bottom line is that the most responsible families will pay the lowest premium. Stress to your teen that avoiding tickets and accidents is most critical to not only keeping your insurance rates down, but of course, assure the safety of your teen driver and others.

You can learn more about ways to save on your insurance and how you can keep your teen safe by calling Toll-free at 866-765-2200.