Car
insurance rates for teen drivers are much more expensive than car insurance
for experienced drivers. This is because
young drivers need time to develop their skills behind the wheel and to learn
good judgment when operating a vehicle. Texting
adds an additional layer of risk for these young drivers.
Many teenagers use texting as their main form of interaction
with their friends. They use texts to
chat, make plans and even just waste time when they are bored. Over time this behavior can lead to what I
call chronic texting. These chronic
texting teens are always on the alert for an incoming text. These incoming texts always trump any other
form of communication or activity that the teenager is engaged in at the
time. Who among us has not experienced
the frustration of losing your child’s attention in the middle of a conversation
as their phone buzzes to announce an incoming text. Their reactions are almost so automatic that
they don’t even know they are doing it. They look down at their phones and for a
moment they have simply forgotten everything else in their immediate
environment. The text takes top priority
for all of their attention. Now this
behavior is annoying enough when it happens in the middle of a conversation
with you or at a restaurant. But if it
happens while they are driving, then we are dealing with extreme danger for
them and all drivers around them.
Combine chronic texting with a teenager’s lack of driving experience and
you have a recipe for personal disaster on the highway.
A Miami Dade jury recently awarded $8.8 million to the
family of a woman killed in a crash caused by a teenager who was speeding and
texting. The boy’s phone records show
an outgoing text from his phone at 8:19 pm.
The paramedics were called to the accident at 8:21 pm. Think what this means; if your child is
driving and texting and causes an accident, the court is going to know that
your child was texting while driving. Do
you think this information might influence the judgment amount against your
child and by inference you, the owner of the vehicle? Yes it will.
This information is going to mean a lot more money out of your
pocket. So if the safety angle isn’t
enough to get you to establish some hard rules with your teen driver, maybe the
financial argument will hold some sway. This is serious stuff, people are dying out
there!
Any parent with assets to lose whose teenager is driving should seriously consider buying higher liability limits on his or her auto insurance policy. You may even want to add a personal umbrella policy to your portfolio of insurance policies for limits above those allowed on the auto policy. I would advise every parent with a teen driver to adopt a two pronged approach to this problem. First of all, talk to your child and help them understand that the phone may not be used at all while they are driving. Model this behavior yourself; your children learn from your behavior. If you have young children be aware that they are learning from you now so put down that phone while you drive. Secondly, have a conversation with your insurance agent and buy as high of a liability insurance limit as you can afford to protect your assets from the risk of your young drivers on your policy.
At Clinard
Insurance Group, we are committed to helping our clients become informed
insurance buyers. If you would like help
with your teen driver car insurance, or if you would like a quote on your auto
insurance, please visit us on the web at www.ClinardInsurance.com, or call
us, toll free at 877-687-7557. We have a
number of free tools for parent of teen drivers. To learn more about them, please visit
our teen driver insurance page.
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