By Wake Clinard, Founding Member of the Society of Family Insurance Specialists.
As an insurance agent, this is probably one of the most frustrating responses I get from parents who are adding their teen to their car insurance. I understand this frustration and after I explain the reasons, they usually respond with “But, my teen is a good driver…” That may be true and you’ve probably spent countless hours helping your teen become a safer driver. If you have, then you should be glad that the chances of your teen getting into an accident will be less likely than most teens on the road. But let me emphasize… Less Likely Than Other Teens… not experienced drivers.
It takes thousands of hours behind the wheel to get the experience to avoid accidents and become the safest of drivers. And this can take years. Here’s a statistic to prove this point. The crash rate for 16 year olds is nearly 3 times higher than 19 year olds and nearly 6 times higher than drivers 20 to 24 years old. Unfortunately, you are going to have to pay high rates for your teen to drive. But, you can take steps to avoid paying the highest rates and keep them down.
Step One- Use an insurance agent that specializes in insuring teen drivers and their families. Family Insurance Specialists represent companies that offer good rates but most importantly offer quality insurance protection that can help you avoid paying out of your own pocket for an accident if your teen causes an accident.
Step Two- Make sure you are getting every discount you deserve. Available discounts may include safe driver, claims-free, good grades, multiple policies with the same company, and in some states you can qualify for a lower rate by keeping a good credit rating.
Step Three- Buy a safe, older, lower profile vehicle for your teen to drive. Make sure it has airbags and anti-lock brakes and is not considered a dangerous vehicle. Your Family Insurance Specialist can help you decide which vehicles are least expensive to insure.
Step Four- Increase your deductibles or drop the collision on older vehicles. If your teen is driving an older, less expensive car, you can “self insure” the car. That means of course, if something happens, you’ll have to pay for the damages to your car, but it can save you a lot of money- nearly 1/3 to 1/2!
Step Five- Get a Teen Driver Monitoring Device installed in your teen’s car. In some states, some insurance companies offer special discounts for these systems. The greatest advantage of these systems is that this will most likely prevent your teen from speeding. Speeding tickets can greatly increase your insurance rates and jeopardize your insurance coverage. Insurance companies know that if a teen driver gets a speeding ticket, the likelihood of an accident in the near future is great. You could get cancelled and it may be more difficult to get another insurance company to pick you up.
To learn more about how you can get the right protection for your teen driver, find out other ways you can save on your car insurance, and keep your teen driver safe, sign up for exclusive VIP access at www.teendriverinsurance.com/clinard or call our office toll-free @ 877.687.7557
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tears for My Friends
With today's blog I thought I would let someone else's words do the talking for me. There are no safety advice or tips in this message but the words are very powerful and they remind us that if we fail in our mission to keep our children safe, the consequences for us will go on for as long as we live.
Tears for My Friends
By Debbye Butler
I have a friend named Jeannette. She had a daughter and a son, until October 1986. Her daughter tested the odds of the effects of alcohol on her motor skills and judgment versus her knowledge about the roads with which she was so familiar.
The alcohol won.
Cindy never saw her 21st birthday. Jeannette, however, has to live through every one of her daughter’s candles-and-cake days — wondering what her daughter would look like now and what she would be doing with her promising life.
I have another buddy. His name is Bill. He is a devoted family man, and until a dreaded October night in 1992, he had two sons and a daughter. Now he has one son, one daughter, and 17 years of memories of a child who will never grow older. Bill, too, had to live the worst parental nightmare possible — a tired teenager with a set of car keys, a can of beer, and an invincible attitude on a late weekend night.
Both of my friends are incredibly loving people and responsible parents. They were looking forward to graduations, a son- or daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. But they have been cheated out of some of the best and most meaningful adventures in life, and nothing or no one can change that cruel, crushing reality.
Maybe you know someone who has lost a son or daughter because of this deadly combination. Maybe it’s a neighbor. Maybe it’s a friend. Maybe it’s someone in your own family. Maybe the children’s deaths were caused by another person who was driving while intoxicated.
It’s hard for me to believe I would ever have personally known one family — much less two — that would have to live through this gnawing, once-it-happens-it-never-goes-away pain. And it’s even more difficult to know what to say to them. Hugs help. But they’ll never replace the hugs from the children who are gone because of alcohol.
When Bill was saying goodbye to his son during the funeral, he did the most loving, courageous thing that any parent could do in a situation like this. With a lump in his throat that must have felt like the size of a softball, he looked out at the stunned young faces of his son’s high school friends. He said he never wanted to have to come to a funeral for this reason again. He said, “Don’t drink and drive.”
Bill told me later he hoped he didn’t sound like he was preaching. Well … I hope he did. I hope everyone listened. And I hope everyone remembers.
© Debbye Butler. Used with author’s permission. May not be reproduced in any fashion without author’s express permission. Debbye Butler is a freelance writer based in Indianapolis, Ind.
Tears for My Friends
By Debbye Butler
I have a friend named Jeannette. She had a daughter and a son, until October 1986. Her daughter tested the odds of the effects of alcohol on her motor skills and judgment versus her knowledge about the roads with which she was so familiar.
The alcohol won.
Cindy never saw her 21st birthday. Jeannette, however, has to live through every one of her daughter’s candles-and-cake days — wondering what her daughter would look like now and what she would be doing with her promising life.
I have another buddy. His name is Bill. He is a devoted family man, and until a dreaded October night in 1992, he had two sons and a daughter. Now he has one son, one daughter, and 17 years of memories of a child who will never grow older. Bill, too, had to live the worst parental nightmare possible — a tired teenager with a set of car keys, a can of beer, and an invincible attitude on a late weekend night.
Both of my friends are incredibly loving people and responsible parents. They were looking forward to graduations, a son- or daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. But they have been cheated out of some of the best and most meaningful adventures in life, and nothing or no one can change that cruel, crushing reality.
Maybe you know someone who has lost a son or daughter because of this deadly combination. Maybe it’s a neighbor. Maybe it’s a friend. Maybe it’s someone in your own family. Maybe the children’s deaths were caused by another person who was driving while intoxicated.
It’s hard for me to believe I would ever have personally known one family — much less two — that would have to live through this gnawing, once-it-happens-it-never-goes-away pain. And it’s even more difficult to know what to say to them. Hugs help. But they’ll never replace the hugs from the children who are gone because of alcohol.
When Bill was saying goodbye to his son during the funeral, he did the most loving, courageous thing that any parent could do in a situation like this. With a lump in his throat that must have felt like the size of a softball, he looked out at the stunned young faces of his son’s high school friends. He said he never wanted to have to come to a funeral for this reason again. He said, “Don’t drink and drive.”
Bill told me later he hoped he didn’t sound like he was preaching. Well … I hope he did. I hope everyone listened. And I hope everyone remembers.
© Debbye Butler. Used with author’s permission. May not be reproduced in any fashion without author’s express permission. Debbye Butler is a freelance writer based in Indianapolis, Ind.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Teen Driver Auto Insurance - What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You
In today’s article I want to talk to you about a little known loophole in NC insurance law that could be costing you a lot of money if you have a teen driver on your policy. I’m not sure if this law applies in other states but in NC it is a nasty little trap to catch some of your money and funnel it to the rich insurance companies.
Lucky for you, you bothered to check in on my blog. This little tidbit saves the average teen driver family about $389 per year for the 3 years that their teen is a driver on their policy. It might even save you more than that.
To understand this premium trap, you first must understand how insurance companies charge for teen drivers. Basically there are 3 tiers of rates for your teen as the teen becomes more experienced. These tiers are related to the number of years the teen has been licensed. For example, when you teen first receives his or her license, you are charged the highest tier 1 rate because as a new driver your teen’s chance of having an accident are very high. On the anniversary of the day that they received their license, they are eligible to be moved into the 2nd tier which of course has a lower rate than the first tier. On the 2nd anniversary of their license then they can move to tier 3 which is even lower cost than tier 2 and on the 3rd anniversary of your teen’s license then they are considered to be an experienced operator and none of these very expensive inexperienced operator surcharges apply any more.
But here is the rub. In NC you are eligible to move your child from a higher rated tier to the next tier on the date that your child reaches each year of experience. That means that the very day they are eligible for the new tier, your policy can be adjusted and a refund sent to you even if your policy doesn’t renew for another 11 months. However, the insurance companies are not required to make this change in the middle of a policy term if you don’t request it. If they don’t hear from you, they are allowed to simply wait until your next renewal and then make the adjustment. This could mean that you pay the higher rate for a year longer for each tier! Sadly, many insurance companies have chosen to exercise this right as a way to increase their premiums. So now in many cases it is up to the consumer to ask for the rate reductions that are due them in the middle of the policy term.
At Clinard Insurance Group we flag our teen driver files to automatically send a mid term request letter to adjust the rates on each anniversary date of the teen’s license. We feel that it is important that our clients don’t get caught in this obscure premium trap. If you are not one of our clients, I hope that you will pay attention to your teen’s license date and notify your company that you would like to have your policy adjusted at the anniversary date of your child’s license, not at the policy renewal date. Insuring teen drivers is expensive enough for families, there is no need to throw away more money simply because you didn’t understand the rules.
Lucky for you, you bothered to check in on my blog. This little tidbit saves the average teen driver family about $389 per year for the 3 years that their teen is a driver on their policy. It might even save you more than that.
To understand this premium trap, you first must understand how insurance companies charge for teen drivers. Basically there are 3 tiers of rates for your teen as the teen becomes more experienced. These tiers are related to the number of years the teen has been licensed. For example, when you teen first receives his or her license, you are charged the highest tier 1 rate because as a new driver your teen’s chance of having an accident are very high. On the anniversary of the day that they received their license, they are eligible to be moved into the 2nd tier which of course has a lower rate than the first tier. On the 2nd anniversary of their license then they can move to tier 3 which is even lower cost than tier 2 and on the 3rd anniversary of your teen’s license then they are considered to be an experienced operator and none of these very expensive inexperienced operator surcharges apply any more.
But here is the rub. In NC you are eligible to move your child from a higher rated tier to the next tier on the date that your child reaches each year of experience. That means that the very day they are eligible for the new tier, your policy can be adjusted and a refund sent to you even if your policy doesn’t renew for another 11 months. However, the insurance companies are not required to make this change in the middle of a policy term if you don’t request it. If they don’t hear from you, they are allowed to simply wait until your next renewal and then make the adjustment. This could mean that you pay the higher rate for a year longer for each tier! Sadly, many insurance companies have chosen to exercise this right as a way to increase their premiums. So now in many cases it is up to the consumer to ask for the rate reductions that are due them in the middle of the policy term.
At Clinard Insurance Group we flag our teen driver files to automatically send a mid term request letter to adjust the rates on each anniversary date of the teen’s license. We feel that it is important that our clients don’t get caught in this obscure premium trap. If you are not one of our clients, I hope that you will pay attention to your teen’s license date and notify your company that you would like to have your policy adjusted at the anniversary date of your child’s license, not at the policy renewal date. Insuring teen drivers is expensive enough for families, there is no need to throw away more money simply because you didn’t understand the rules.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Why Are Insurance Rates For Teens So High?
As an insurance agent, this is probably one of the most frustrating responses I get from parents who are adding their teen to their car insurance. I understand this frustration and after I explain the reasons, they usually respond with “But, my teen is a good driver…”
That may be true and you’ve probably spent countless hours helping your teen become a safer driver. If you have, then you should be glad that the chances of your teen getting into an accident will be less likely than most teens on the road. But let me emphasize… Less Likely Than Other Teens… not experienced drivers.
It takes thousands of hours behind the wheel to get the experience to avoid accidents and become the safest of drivers. And this can take years. Here’s a statistic to prove this point.
The crash rate for 16 year olds is nearly 3 times higher than 19 years and nearly 6 times higher than drivers 20 to 24 years old.
Unfortunately, you are going to have to pay high rates for your teen to drive. But, you can take steps to avoid paying the highest rates and keep them down. Here are the steps you should take:
Step One- Use an insurance agent that specializes in insuring teen drivers. Family Insurance Specialists represent companies that offer good rates but most importantly offer quality insurance protection that can help you avoid paying out of your own pocket for an accident if your teen causes an accident.
Step Two- Make sure you are getting every discount you deserve. Available discounts may include safe driver, claims-free, good grades, multiple policies with the same company, and in some states you can qualify for a lower rate by keeping a good credit rating.
Step Three- Buy a safe, older, lower profile vehicle for your teen to drive. Make sure it has airbags and anti-lock brakes and is not considered a dangerous vehicle. Your Family Insurance Specialist can help you decide which vehicles are least expensive to insure.
Step Four- Increase your deductibles or drop the collision on older vehicles. If your teen is driving an older, less expensive car, you can “self insure” the car. That means of course, if something happens, you’ll have to pay for the damages to your car, but it can save you a lot of money- nearly 1/3 to 1/2! With my teens, they had minor bump ups to their cars and we just fixed what we had to fix to keep the car operating safely. Since they were driving older model cars anyway we could swallow the dings ourselves.
Step Five- Get a Teen Driver Monitoring Device installed in your teen’s car. In some states, some insurance companies offer special discounts for these systems. The greatest advantage of these systems is that this will most likely prevent your teen from speeding. Speeding tickets can greatly increase your insurance rates and jeopardize your insurance coverage. Insurance companies know that if a teen driver gets a speeding ticket, the likelihood of an accident in the near future is great. You could get cancelled and it may be more difficult to get another insurance company to pick you up.
To learn more about how you can get the right protection for your teen driver, find out other ways you can save on your car insurance, visit my web site by clicking here.
That may be true and you’ve probably spent countless hours helping your teen become a safer driver. If you have, then you should be glad that the chances of your teen getting into an accident will be less likely than most teens on the road. But let me emphasize… Less Likely Than Other Teens… not experienced drivers.
It takes thousands of hours behind the wheel to get the experience to avoid accidents and become the safest of drivers. And this can take years. Here’s a statistic to prove this point.
The crash rate for 16 year olds is nearly 3 times higher than 19 years and nearly 6 times higher than drivers 20 to 24 years old.
Unfortunately, you are going to have to pay high rates for your teen to drive. But, you can take steps to avoid paying the highest rates and keep them down. Here are the steps you should take:
Step One- Use an insurance agent that specializes in insuring teen drivers. Family Insurance Specialists represent companies that offer good rates but most importantly offer quality insurance protection that can help you avoid paying out of your own pocket for an accident if your teen causes an accident.
Step Two- Make sure you are getting every discount you deserve. Available discounts may include safe driver, claims-free, good grades, multiple policies with the same company, and in some states you can qualify for a lower rate by keeping a good credit rating.
Step Three- Buy a safe, older, lower profile vehicle for your teen to drive. Make sure it has airbags and anti-lock brakes and is not considered a dangerous vehicle. Your Family Insurance Specialist can help you decide which vehicles are least expensive to insure.
Step Four- Increase your deductibles or drop the collision on older vehicles. If your teen is driving an older, less expensive car, you can “self insure” the car. That means of course, if something happens, you’ll have to pay for the damages to your car, but it can save you a lot of money- nearly 1/3 to 1/2! With my teens, they had minor bump ups to their cars and we just fixed what we had to fix to keep the car operating safely. Since they were driving older model cars anyway we could swallow the dings ourselves.
Step Five- Get a Teen Driver Monitoring Device installed in your teen’s car. In some states, some insurance companies offer special discounts for these systems. The greatest advantage of these systems is that this will most likely prevent your teen from speeding. Speeding tickets can greatly increase your insurance rates and jeopardize your insurance coverage. Insurance companies know that if a teen driver gets a speeding ticket, the likelihood of an accident in the near future is great. You could get cancelled and it may be more difficult to get another insurance company to pick you up.
To learn more about how you can get the right protection for your teen driver, find out other ways you can save on your car insurance, visit my web site by clicking here.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
What Price for Privacy?
As an advocate of teen driving safety I rejoiced when GPS devices became available to help parents track their teen drivers’ driving habits. What could be better than to know when your child is driving too fast, or driving after curfew. We know that these behaviors put teen drivers at greater risk so why wouldn’t parents want to know? And if the device reduced their insurance rates so that it was less expensive to have it than not, wouldn’t every parent want this?
After talking to many parents about this issue it seems that there are several reasons that they don’t pursue a GPS tracking device for their child’s car. The most prevalent is that they don’t want to intrude on their child’s privacy. They don’t want to appear not to trust their child and of course they don’t like the whole “big brother” aspect of this technology.
First of all, let me put to rest the “big brother” questions. When you install one of these devices in your child’s car, you are the only one who can view the information generated by the device. It is not a device that lets the insurance companies “spy” on your child. You control all the access to this information.
Now let’s get to the real heart of the matter. You don’t want your child to think you don’t trust them to drive safely. This is your child. She has always been a great kid. He has never given you trouble. I know. I have 3 teenagers. But the truth is that all teen drivers are at risk. The risk is certainly magnified by their inexperience. But they are all at risk as young drivers. If you do trust them completely then I believe you are simply avoiding reality. This may be a bitter pill to swallow so let me give you a similar example.
Let’s say your child is the model student. He studies hard and brings home good grades on tests and homework. Would you then not look at his report card? Would that be telling him you don’t trust him? The only difference here is that we are talking about your child’s very life and safety, not his or her grades. And if your child does screw up and kill or injure herself or someone else, there are no make up exams.
The last point I want to make about the GPS devices is that like report cards, they give your child the chance to show that she is driving safely. And when you see that, you can reward him or her with more freedom and more responsibility.
A GPS tracking device can be misused by a nosey parent or an over controlling one. But used properly, this piece of technology can save lives. If you have considered one in the past, I urge you to reconsider. It might save your child’s life.
After talking to many parents about this issue it seems that there are several reasons that they don’t pursue a GPS tracking device for their child’s car. The most prevalent is that they don’t want to intrude on their child’s privacy. They don’t want to appear not to trust their child and of course they don’t like the whole “big brother” aspect of this technology.
First of all, let me put to rest the “big brother” questions. When you install one of these devices in your child’s car, you are the only one who can view the information generated by the device. It is not a device that lets the insurance companies “spy” on your child. You control all the access to this information.
Now let’s get to the real heart of the matter. You don’t want your child to think you don’t trust them to drive safely. This is your child. She has always been a great kid. He has never given you trouble. I know. I have 3 teenagers. But the truth is that all teen drivers are at risk. The risk is certainly magnified by their inexperience. But they are all at risk as young drivers. If you do trust them completely then I believe you are simply avoiding reality. This may be a bitter pill to swallow so let me give you a similar example.
Let’s say your child is the model student. He studies hard and brings home good grades on tests and homework. Would you then not look at his report card? Would that be telling him you don’t trust him? The only difference here is that we are talking about your child’s very life and safety, not his or her grades. And if your child does screw up and kill or injure herself or someone else, there are no make up exams.
The last point I want to make about the GPS devices is that like report cards, they give your child the chance to show that she is driving safely. And when you see that, you can reward him or her with more freedom and more responsibility.
A GPS tracking device can be misused by a nosey parent or an over controlling one. But used properly, this piece of technology can save lives. If you have considered one in the past, I urge you to reconsider. It might save your child’s life.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
"Trunking"- The Latest Danger to Teens!
Just when you thought you've heard it all...
As I was doing my research for this month's issue of my Driver’s Seat e-newsletter, I came across an article about the latest killer of teens.
We all know that car accidents are the number one killer of teens in the US. Now there is a trend going across the country that is adding to the danger of a teen behind the wheel and it's referred to as "Trunking".
As a teen, I remember hearing about kids in school that would climb into a trunk to sneak into a drive-in movie. Of course, I would never partake in such an act. But today, now that the drive-in movie is obsolete, there's another reason why kids are doing this.
Almost every state in the country now has laws limiting the number of passengers during the first few years of a teen driver's experience. These laws were passed to reduce the distractions in the car that have been proven to cause so many accidents. In order to circumvent these laws, kids are now packing themselves in the trunk of the car to be able to go with their friends. The worst part is that they will stay in the trunk while being driven all over town and even beyond.
The dangers are obvious to us and include suffocation, carbon monoxide poisoning, heat exposure, freezing, being crushed or thrown out of the car as a result of an accident. You can just imagine how dangerous this could be for your child.
So what do you do? First explain the dangers and then define the consequences/punishment of this type of action. If your child is guilty, take away driving privileges and inform the parents’ of all the involved kids. You'll also want to pass this article on to other parents, just to let them know what kids are up to these days, so they can proactively counsel against it.
To sign up for a free subscription to my e-newletter, Driver’s Seat, visit my website at www.TeenDriverInsurance.com/Clinard and register for VIP Access. You’ll also be able to learn more about you can best protect your family.
As I was doing my research for this month's issue of my Driver’s Seat e-newsletter, I came across an article about the latest killer of teens.
We all know that car accidents are the number one killer of teens in the US. Now there is a trend going across the country that is adding to the danger of a teen behind the wheel and it's referred to as "Trunking".
As a teen, I remember hearing about kids in school that would climb into a trunk to sneak into a drive-in movie. Of course, I would never partake in such an act. But today, now that the drive-in movie is obsolete, there's another reason why kids are doing this.
Almost every state in the country now has laws limiting the number of passengers during the first few years of a teen driver's experience. These laws were passed to reduce the distractions in the car that have been proven to cause so many accidents. In order to circumvent these laws, kids are now packing themselves in the trunk of the car to be able to go with their friends. The worst part is that they will stay in the trunk while being driven all over town and even beyond.
The dangers are obvious to us and include suffocation, carbon monoxide poisoning, heat exposure, freezing, being crushed or thrown out of the car as a result of an accident. You can just imagine how dangerous this could be for your child.
So what do you do? First explain the dangers and then define the consequences/punishment of this type of action. If your child is guilty, take away driving privileges and inform the parents’ of all the involved kids. You'll also want to pass this article on to other parents, just to let them know what kids are up to these days, so they can proactively counsel against it.
To sign up for a free subscription to my e-newletter, Driver’s Seat, visit my website at www.TeenDriverInsurance.com/Clinard and register for VIP Access. You’ll also be able to learn more about you can best protect your family.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Do You Know Your Child's Driving Personality?
We all know our children right? I mean we really know our children? But do we know just how they will act as drivers once they are out on the road without our supervision? Will they be risk takers, will they be easily distracted, will they over cautious or even fearful of certain situations? If you could know the answers to these questions with certainty, could you better prepare you teen driver and perhaps save his or her life?
I think so. And there is a way to know. The Teensurance safety beacon GPS program has an additional feature that will allow your child to take an online personality assessment in about 45 minutes time. The test can be graded and the results will show you just what types of dangerous behaviors your child is most likely to participate in. And they will help you understand areas of training where you need to put the most emphasis before you let your child out there on the open road.
I think every parent of a teen driver should arm themselves with every advantage to help keep their child safe and alive. A personality assessment is just one more tool. Taking your child through this process will also show them just how serious you are about their safety as a driver.
If you would like more information about the personality assessment for your teen driver, please click here.
I have additional free information and help for you at my teen driver web site at www.TeenDriverInsurance.com/Clinard.
I think so. And there is a way to know. The Teensurance safety beacon GPS program has an additional feature that will allow your child to take an online personality assessment in about 45 minutes time. The test can be graded and the results will show you just what types of dangerous behaviors your child is most likely to participate in. And they will help you understand areas of training where you need to put the most emphasis before you let your child out there on the open road.
I think every parent of a teen driver should arm themselves with every advantage to help keep their child safe and alive. A personality assessment is just one more tool. Taking your child through this process will also show them just how serious you are about their safety as a driver.
If you would like more information about the personality assessment for your teen driver, please click here.
I have additional free information and help for you at my teen driver web site at www.TeenDriverInsurance.com/Clinard.
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