Teenage Drivers – Costing You a Fortune?

Teenage Drivers – Costing You a Fortune?

You’ve dreaded the day you knew would come; your teenager is planning to get a drivers license. And please don’t tell any parent that the transition to being a “teen” driver from a passenger won’t scare the pants off you. Most parents have been there – done that. A car or truck from the 1950’s, steel bumpers front and back, redolent of an Army tank from WW II, would be the safest transportation suggestion a parent can make. However, not one teenager I’ve known would ever be caught driving one.

But regardless of the choice of transportation you choose, you can’t drive in Pennsylvania or any other state for that matter, without a DMV license and, of course car insurance. So to be sure you, the parents, won’t have to get a second mortgage on your house to pay the tab for your teenager’s insurance, being aware of your options may help save the day. In any event, it’s a foregone conclusion that your auto insurance premiums are going to skyrocket unless you take some positive steps to prevent that from happening.

What Are Some Pertinent Tips To Know About Insurance For “Teenagers”?

Tip #1 – Get a safe car and before making any purchase, have a trusted mechanic inspect the car front to back; especially the brakes and tires.

Tip #2 – Any teenager who consistently receives good grades, can plan on getting some discount from auto insurers. A “B” average is your goal if its high school; college kids need at least 12 credits to make any headway on insurance savings.

Tip #3 – Speaking of college, if your son or daughter attends a college more than 100 miles away from home, and doesn’t take the car, you might be able to score a discount on your insurance payment.

Tip #4 – Be sure that your insurance company has been fully informed of the fact that your teenager is now or was in a driver-safety program. Another plus is if they have read the Pennsylvania drivers safety book, and passed a rather easy required test.

Tip #5 – If your parents plan to include you in their current insurance policies, its possible they’ll make a nice “multi-policy” discount. One more thing about this is thinking about including an extra “rider” to their current policy that provides extra liability coverage above what the Pennsylvania DMV limits require.

Will There Be Any Insurance Savings If Parents Buy An Older Vehicle?

If your teenage driver is going to be driving a vehicle 10 years old or older, you can consider dropping collision and comprehensive insurance coverage. Both are costly and you may only need liability coverage policy. ( do your research on how much your vehicle is worth )

However, if it’s a newer vehicle, bump up the comp and collision deductibles to at least $1,000 or more if you can afford it.

The author has written articles regarding DMV, business insurance, life insurance, and car insurance in Pittsburgh.