Nearly 9 out of 10 teens describe themselves as safe drivers. However, teen crash statistics clearly reveal risky driving behavior.
www.TeenDriverInsurance.com/AllAmerican gives parents the tools to open up a dialogue with their teen driver. As part of a comprehensive approach to safe driving, it's filled with valuable information for new and experienced drivers alike.
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:
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.
Driver education programs play a role in preparing teens to drive, but should not be viewed as the end of the learning-to-drive process. In order to develop safe driving skills, inexperienced drivers need opportunities to improve through gradual exposure to increasingly-challenging driving tasks. Teens become safer drivers with more driving experience.
In some states, the completion of driver education qualifies a teen for full driving privileges. The National Safety Council believes this is not a wise approach. Research shows that significant hours of behind-the-wheel experience are necessary to reduce crash-involvement risk. Parental involvement and state-imposed Graduated Driver Licensing play important roles in developing skills.
If you have a lead foot but are unwilling to quit playing "Speed Racer" on the highway, driving one of these least ticketed cars could help:
This list was complied from a study conducted by ISO (Insurance Services Office) Quality Planning.
16 Step Home Study Teen Driving Course Offered at No Cost to Parents
Washington, PA — Car accidents are the leading cause of severe injuries and death among teenagers all across the U.S. and inexperience is the leading factor in these accidents. “New drivers just don’t know how to react to dangerous situations that, many times, they get themselves into.” says Ret. Master Police Officer James Poer who has investigated car accidents for 30 years. “Education and most importantly, experience, is critical to helping kids learn how to avoid dangerous situations and how to react when they encounter dangerous situations.”
Driving school experts recommend 100 hours of behind the wheel experience before a teen drives unsupervised. Unfortunately, driving schools can’t provide this amount of experience. Depending on the state, schools are only required to give 4 to 6 hours of driving practice and with so many students in a class, schools simply cannot provide adequate experience. This places the responsibility on the parents.
One way to make the most of this time is to use a home study driving course. By following a structured lesson plan, parents can teach their teens the most important skills to driving safely and make the needed driving time most effective. The Society of Family Insurance Specialists (SFIS) has released a 16 step home study course, The Safe Teen Driver Guide, that provides parents a lesson plan and practice exercises to help them accomplish this important goal. Local insurance agent and family insurance specialist, Billy Proudfit of Proudfit Insurance in Washington helped co-author this guide along with Officer Poer and a certified driving school instructor.
Since learning that auto accidents are the number one cause of death among teens, Proudfit has been on a mission to help parents keep their teen drivers safe. His agency offers many tools including GPS teen driver monitoring systems, free reports with information that parents need to know about, Parent/ Teen Driver Contract, 101 Safety Tips for Teen Drivers and much more. “The Safe Teen Driver Guide is one tool that I have had a great response from.” says Proudfit. “Almost every parent that has received it is grateful for having such a great tool to help them teach their teen to drive.”
Check out the website at www.TeenDriverInsurance.com/AllAmerican, or contact us at 256.765.2200 or 888.765.2201 for more details.
Driver education programs play a role in preparing teens to drive, but should not be viewed as the end of the learning-to-drive process. In order to develop safe driving skills, inexperienced drivers need opportunities to improve through gradual exposure to increasingly-challenging driving tasks. Teens become safer drivers with more driving experience.
In some states, the completion of driver education qualifies a teen for full driving privileges. The National Safety Council believes this is not a wise approach. Research shows that significant hours of behind-the-wheel experience are necessary to reduce crash-involvement risk. Parental involvement and state-imposed Graduated Driver Licensing play important roles in developing skills.
