Keeping Teen Car Insurance Affordable

Teens can help parents by doing well in school. Students earning good grades can qualify for "good student discounts" with many car insurance companies. Doing well in school demonstrates responsibility, an important indicator to insurers. Some policies can save up to 15% on their annual rate under such discounts.

Many school systems offer drivers' ed courses that students can take as a class during their regular school day schedule. In most cases these courses do not have any out-of-pocket expenses to students or their families. Savings on car insurance from such courses vary state-to-state but experts agree the lessons learned from such courses can save much more than just money.

Spending time with your teen driver after they have earned their learners' license is one of the most important steps parents can take. Explaining the importance of obeying traffic, speed, and movement laws cannot be understated to new drivers. Ensuring a new driver knows the rules of the road well can help families keep car insurance rates as low as possible, and most importantly, keep family members safe.

Forcing teen drivers to obey curfew laws is an important step towards keeping them safe and car insurance rates low. Nationwide, the majority of accidents involving serious injuries and fatalities occur between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. It is important parents keep teenage drivers off the road during such hours for a number of reasons. Fatigue and poor visibility oftentimes play a role in night time accidents. However, the number of accidents involving teen drivers under the influence is statistically higher during nighttime hours.

Some car insurance providers offer discounts based on a teen driver's primary vehicle. While new and more expensive vehicles can raise car insurance rates significantly, old, compact cars may have negatively effect rates as well. Naturally the older and smaller a car is the more dangerous it is to have a wreck in. Parents should seek to strike a balance between cost and safety, a step experts say will save money in the long run.