New Drivers

1) Have your son or daughter pay a share of the auto insurance. A 50/50 split between parents and teens is common. 2) Offer some incentives under which you'll pick up the entire tab - ie, a 3.0 or (B) grade point average in school. 3) Let the teen know you'll withdraw driving privileges if the car is misused, grades fall, or an irresponsible attitude toward driving is shown in some other way. 4) Insist on completion of a driver training course. This exposure to a serious attitude and good driving habits may carry more weight coming from an "outsider" than from you. Certainly, it will reinforce the points you've tried to convey. 5) Ask your teenager to sign a "driving contract" with you. The teen promises never to drive after using any drugs or alcohol. You promise to come and provide transportation home at any hour of the day or night, without "hassling." This tells the teen you really care...and underlines how strongly you believe that alcohol, or drugs and driving do not mix. 6) Give your teen some ground rules for use of the car. Insist upon knowing where the teen is going, with whom, and what time they're returning. Large groups in the car, and unplanned time, tend to create problems. Purposeful trips do not. 7) Make it clear that the car may not be loaned to anyone else, nor driven by anyone else. 8) Set a good example with your own driving habits and attitudes, including your use of alcohol. Your teenager is subconsciously learning your standards, every time you drive. 9) Set up a meeting between the teenager and your insurance agent, at the agent's office. The agent can speak with experience and authority about insurance rates, the importance of proper driving habits and a good driving record. 10) When a young adult (age 18 or older) changes from an occasional to principal driver of a vehicle, have them listed on a separate auto insurance policy. This heightens the perception of direct responsibility. Premium notices will come specifically addressed to the young driver, so the cost has more impact. This often heightens the young driver's interest in doing what's necessary to keep costs down.

***Insurance for young drivers is more expensive than for adults - much more. That is because individuals under age 25, who are single, have more accidents than married persons and single adults.

1) Qualify for a good student discount. Many insurance companies give up to a 15% discount to your drivers who maintain a high school or college grade point average of 3.0 (B) or higher.

2) Complete a driver-training course.

3) Keep your driving record free of accidents and traffic violations. Tickets are a warning sign or risk-taking, inattentiveness or poor driving skills. Accidents often follow, and both are "bad news" to your future insurance costs.

4) Be an occasional driver, rather than the principal driver of a car. The odds of an accident go up as a car is driven more, especially by an inexperienced driver. It costs less to insure a young driver for occasional use of a car than if that young driver is the principal operator and is using the car extensively.

5) Drive a conventional vehicle. Individuals who drive "ordinary" motor vehicles generally are less likely to have an accident than those who drive high-performance cars or vehicles that have been modified for high-speed or high-performance capability. Insurance companies often charge more to insure unconventional automobiles.

6) Grow older. Seriously...rates come down as a young person reaches the mid 20's, simply because the lessons of life, experience and maturity, have taught that driving is a serious responsibility.