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2019-03-25
By: Denise Koslowsky
Life with teens is certainly an adventure! The joy of watching them learn to drive is often equally matched with the worry that they will be safe when they are behind the wheel. If you have a teen driver in your home, you will want to check out this white paper we’ve put together: Link to teen driver White Paper.
When it comes to adding your teen to your insurance policy, parents are often hesitant. The truth is, your current insurance policy contract requires that you list all licensed household drivers on your auto policy… it’s all a part of life with teens! It’s true, adding a teen driver to your existing auto insurance policy is expensive and will automatically increase your premium, significantly so. Statistically families across the country will see an increase in their annual premium of 82%.
What you can do to keep the rates as low as possible
The good news is that there are things you can do to try to keep your insurance rates as low as possible. There are often credits available for teens. Some of them include:
• Good students who maintain a B average or better
• Students who have taken drivers education
• Teens who have taken a defensive driving course
• Teens who live 100 miles away without the car (which is helpful if they are away at college)
Why is it so much more expensive?
While there are a variety of factors involved including the state you live in (insurance regulations vary greatly from state to state), the gender of your child (you will pay more when adding a male teen to your policy than a female teen) and the age of your teen, the bottom line is that, teens get in more car accidents. Young drivers are more distracted when they are behind the wheel, distracted driving is reported to be responsible for 58% of teen crashes. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. There is an average of 6 auto accident related fatalities per day!
How much more can I expect to pay?
While the costs to add a teen to your existing auto insurance policy varies from state to state, no matter how you slice it, your premium is going to increase. Take a look at the list below to see the 5 most expensive state on average for adding a teen to your policy as well as the 5 states that are the least expensive.
MOST EXPENSIVE INCREASE
Rhode Island 137%
Arizona 119%
New Hampshire 118%
West Virginia 100%
Maine 98%
LEAST EXPENSIVE INCREASE
Hawaii 12%
Michigan 58%
North Carolina 61%
North Dakota 62%
Florida 65%
Final Piece Of Advice From Advocate
We always encourage parents to be a part of their driving experience. Talk to them about the responsibility they are undertaking each time they get behind the wheel. Let them know what your expectations are and make sure they understand them. It is also a good idea to talk to them about what they should do if they are involved in an accident. We encourage our clients to have your teens call us so that we can speak with them directly, or you can review our white paper on the subject with them by clicking the following link: Link to what to do if you are in an accident.
Educating our clients about important details that affect their insurance coverage is of the upmost importance to everyone here at Advocate Brokerage. If you have a teen that is learning to drive, get in touch with us at 914-723-7100. We would be happy to take the time to review your insurance and talk about the costs of adding them to your policy.
