by Jason Collazo
There are many situations that can cause a spike in your automobile insurance premium, one of the most expensive ones being the addition of a teenage driver onto your family’s policy. Getting coverage for a freshly-licensed teen can cause your rates to soar anywhere from 50% to 200% above what you were previously paying. There are measures that can be taken to keep that rate increase somewhat under control. You can set yourself up to save over 25% on your insurance bill by doing things like enrolling your teen in a driver’s education course or attaching their coverage to a particular vehicle on your policy.
There are many situations that can cause a spike in your automobile insurance premium, one of the most expensive ones being the addition of a teenage driver onto your family’s policy. Getting coverage for a freshly-licensed teen can cause your rates to soar anywhere from 50% to 200% above what you were previously paying. There are measures that can be taken to keep that rate increase somewhat under control. You can set yourself up to save over 25% on your insurance bill by doing things like enrolling your teen in a driver’s education course or attaching their coverage to a particular vehicle on your policy.
In addition to saving money on your auto insurance rates, a driver’s education course will teach you teen how to be a safe driver, which will reduce his potential risk for getting into an accident. Driver’s ed classes should ingrain your teen with the rules of the road, while impressing upon him the importance of conducting himself in a safe manner at all times out on the road. He will learn how to avoid carelessness behind the wheel. Putting your teen into a one-on-one situation with a licensed driving instructor will allow him to perfect his car-handling skills from parallel parking, to three point turns, to merging onto highways.
It is a requirement in many states that drivers under the age of 18 pass a driver’s ed course in order to get their license in the first place. Call your child’s high school or your local Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain information about where the courses are held and how much they cost. Before enrolling your teen, check in with your insurance provider to make certain that, after you teen completes the course, you will qualify for a premium-rate reduction. Some of the larger insurance companies offer their own safe-driving programs for teenagers, and enrolling your teens in those as well may make you eligible for even deeper rate reductions.
For the most part, an insurance-approved driver’s education class entails about 30 hours of classroom time, plus an additional seven hours of driving time supervised by an instructor. Overall costs can vary, ranging from $100 to $500, depending on the company providing the instruction and your locale.
Occasionally, driving classes do not involve any actual driving time, but only classroom time. These courses generally involve around 56 hours of instruction in the classroom. Students must pass a written exam in order to receive a certificate of graduation. If you or another family member opts to join your teen in the classroom, you can potentially lower your auto insurance costs even more.
In addition to enrolling your teen in a driver’s ed course, the other option you have to limit your insurance rate increase is to contact your insurance provider and inquire about how they assign cars to drivers. Some auto insurance companies pair the most expensive driver to insure—your teenager—with the most expensive vehicle. This is often done automatically. If your teen will be driving an older car for his first years on the road, be sure to request that your insurance company pairs your teen with the older car, in order to keep your rates as low as possible.
The final and most important task is to have a frank discussion with your teen about driving drunk. Any driver’s education course will address the devastation caused by drinking and driving but reinforcing what they learn in the classroom with a face to face talk at home is invaluable.SE
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