How to Drive a Car | Insurance Rates for Teens are a Warning for Parents
Teens learning how to drive a car must learn to drive without texting. Texting and reading texts is what teens do almost as a habit. Some teens seem to be addicted to it. But texting is a recipe for disaster when driving a car. Even banning texting does not seem to be able to stop it. This new wave of distractions is causing many teen car crashes. Car crashes cost parents money and but also cost insurance companies even more money.
When parents ask for a quote from their insurance company to add their teen to their coverage they are shocked how expensive it is. The reason is that insurance companies look at the data they have on the claims being paid out when teens start driving a car. They know that teens are still learning how to drive a car and this results in a lot of mistakes causing crashes. So insurance premiums must be high enough to cover the high volume of claims. This fact should tell parents their teen is at risk and that every effort possible is needed to keep them safe.
The cost of car insurance is a good gauge for parents to realize they are in dangerous waters with a teen driver. Relying on a driving school is not enough. Parents need to actively participate in teaching their teen how to drive a car. A new resource has just been published that provides parents with everything they need to be an active participant in their teens driving education. The book is called “3 Keys to Keeping Your Teen Alive: Lessons for Surviving the First Year of Driving”.
Allstate Insurance Company issued the following statement in response to the release of the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) report which states that texting bans have not seen a decrease in reported crashes when driving a car. Allstate is the largest insurance company in the US for home, life and car insurance. They have more than 17 million households insured.
“Allstate joins U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in calling for continued efforts to enact, enforce and educate the public about texting bans that can save lives. Legislation is only the first step. To have real impact, laws must be strongly enforced so that the consequence for texting while driving is a tough penalty and not the end of a life,” said Joan Walker, vice president of corporate relations for Allstate Insurance Company. “Legislation must be combined with law enforcement and public education programs to create a real shift in changing safe driving norms.
“Allstate supports and encourages legislation banning texting behind the wheel, especially for teen drivers. Public education programs like Allstate’s Save 11 campaign focus on enacting graduated driver’s licensing laws to protect and prepare America’s youngest drivers behind the wheel. Movements like Allstate’s “X the TXT” help build awareness about the dangers of texting behind the wheel and curb distracted driving.
“Every American has an obligation to stay focused on the road and protect one another. We have an opportunity to create a safer driving environment today and for future generations. We must act now by bringing together the most powerful resources we can to enact tough legislation, enforce laws with real consequences and change driving attitudes and behaviors.”
