Teens and Distracted Driving: Avoiding Higher Car Insurance Premiums for your Young Driver

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The leading cause of death for young people 15 to 20 years of age is car accidents.  Two out of three teens die as passengers in a car accident and the majority of teen accidents occur with a passenger in the car.  Many of these accidents are caused by a teenager’s inexperience behind the wheel and risk-taking behaviors, including driving while distracted.  To date, over 30 states have passed law banning or limiting the use of cell phones while driving.  To avoid an accident for your teenager and higher car insurance premiums, here is some advice keep your teenager safe behind the wheel:

Know Your State’s Cell Phone Laws

Know the laws governing cell phone use while driving in your state and make sure your teenager knows they can get a hefty ticket for violating these laws.  The more tickets they receive, the higher their car insurance premiums, now and in the future.  Tell your teenager to never text and drive.  If cell phone use is allowed in your state while driving, make sure your teenager only uses the cell phone for important calls and uses the speaker phone if possible so they keep both hands on the wheel.  If possible, they should have a passenger make a call or pull off to the side of the road.   

Plan Ahead

Make sure your teenager knows how their phone functions before they get on the road.  Before starting a drive, your teenage driver should review maps, directions and program a GPS device.  Also, radios, CD players and climate control should be set up before hitting the road.  So they can hear other cars, teenagers should never wear headphones while driving.   

Keep Focused

Remind your teenager that it’s important they stay focused while driving.  If something is a distraction, they should not hesitate to pull over and resolve the situation before continuing on the road.   Make sure your teenage driver knows to avoid horseplay in the car and, if they have an emotional conversation with a passenger, to pull over for this talk.  Your teenager should also know to never put on makeup, groom their hair, drink, eat, smoke or read while driving.  These activities take their eyes off the road and result in dangerous driving. 

Teenage drivers are new to driving and what seems like common sense to an experienced driver might not occur to them to be risky behavior.  Take the time to talk to your teenager and make sure they understand distracted driving is dangerous driving. 

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