California Teenage Driver Car Insurance Rate Quotes
- 11,177: teen drivers killed in car accidents between 1995 and 2004
- 3/4: portion of those accidents involving teen drivers in which the fatalities were suffered by the passengers of the teen’s car
- 5.6%: decline in the number of teen traffic deaths after the introduction of graduated licensing laws in 46 states
Some of the statistics sound frightening, but in the end things seem to be getting better, thanks to new laws on the books in most states that refrain from giving young drivers full licenses until certain benchmarks have been met. While this is, indeed, much of the reason for the decline in fatalities, other factors should not be left out.
Looking at the numbers, even after the decline, can make any parent shake at the thought of sending their teen out on the road, and it’s no wonder with these numbers that the average CA car insurance rate is so high. However, if you take the proper precautions, such as working with your child on their driving skills even after the license has obtained, and buying the best car for your teen, you can ensure to an extent that they have a safe driving experience, and you can save a lot of money on car insurance.
So what should the perfect teen car look like, the one that will garner the very best CA car insurance rate? Here are some rules to go by.
- Size matters.
The impact of a car’s size on its CA car insurance rate is often distorted in the public’s mind. Some notions that might seem to be common sense at first, really aren’t. For example, we all know that the insurance provider will give you a cheap CA car insurance rate if you have a safe car, and vehicles such as SUVs are very safe, right?
Yes and no.
SUVs can be safe for the driver, but car insurance companies have to take more than just you into mind when they are deciding on your CA car insurance rate. SUVs are very safe for the people inside them, but they cause quite a bit of damage. Part of this is because of their size, but some comes from the fact that their bumpers are on a different level than the bumpers of other vehicles, so instead of hitting the other car’s bumper and absorbing some of the impact, the bumper of an SUV will rip through the other vehicle’s body, causing more damage to the vehicle and more fatalities within.
Another common misconception is that a small car will get you a good car insurance rate. Also not true, for just the opposite reason. Small cars don’t cause a lot of damage, so your car insurance rate for your liability coverage will be cheap, but they do take a lot of damage. If you’re going to buy comprehensive or collision on your new car, then the car insurance rate is going to hit you hard there.
So…what kind of car should you get for your teen, to ensure the maximum amount of safety and the best car insurance rate? Well, we can take a little lesson from Goldilocks in this field.
- Just right.
The best car that you can choose for your teenager, in order to stay safe and get a cheap car insurance rate, is a mid-sized car. It’s also a good idea to choose a car that is a couple of years old, rather than a new one. New cars are expensive to insure, especially if the name attached to them is under 18. Picking a car that’s still around 2000 up will ensure that you get both the modern technology and safety features, while avoiding the high car insurance rate.
It should also be a given that you need to avoid getting a sports car, a convertible, or any other type of high performance car for your teen. It’s proven through various studies that these sorts of cars encourage reckless behavior, especially among young people.
Tips For Getting Teen Driver Car Insurance Discounts
Maybe it’s because they’re young, and maybe it’s because they are new drivers. I would suggest that it is for both reasons. However, whatever the cause is, 16 year olds have been found to get into ten times as many car insurance accidents as do middle aged drivers, which is why kids their age cost so much to insure. As a parent trying to get a decent price on your car insurance premium, here are five of my ten steps that you need to take with your teen to insure that your premium gets low and stays there.
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Know the law.
Make sure that your kid learns the rules of the road and doesn’t forget them. Being unaware of different traffic laws is one of the big things that is involved in teen accidents, causing more claims on your insurance policy. Teens might remember important laws about right of way and using blinkers when they take their test, but later on they easily forget. If you keep learning, even after your teen gets their license, your risk will go down.
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Be a role model.
Let me use my mother as an example. She’s a terrible role model for young drivers. She drinks (not alcohol, but any drink is a distraction), eats, reads, and writes while driving. My brothers and sisters watching her might be inclined to take after her. However, if you set a good example for your new driver by following the traffic laws and being careful on the road, then you’ll save your self some Lancaster CA car insurance claim headaches in the future.
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Keep them close.
The best way to make sure your teen is insured is to put their name on your insurance policy. Everybody who is driving is required to be insured, so you can’t be too scared about the prices. They have to go on your policy.
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Reward and punish.
One great things that many car insurance companies offer can also be used as a tool for parenting, and that is the good grade discount. It’s simple: if your kid gets good grades in school, enough to get the discount, then they can use the car. If not…well, less time driving is more time spent studying, right?
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Don’t skip driver’s ed.
I didn’t take driver’s ed as a teen, and I’m okay for it, but many people aren’t. Don’t let your teen avoid getting his or her license, and don’t let them avoid driver’s ed if they get their license after eighteen. Make sure they are enrolled in a comprehensive driver’s education course so that they get some first and second hand knowledge of the roads.
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