This
summer you may have a new driver in the family: your teen. With school
out, teenagers will be spending more time on the road. This coupled with
the fact that 16-year-olds have a higher incidence of car accidents than
any other age group should be enough to make any parent nervous.
The
right insurance plan will help calm your fears. First, make sure your teen
driver is insured and at the same time figure how to keep your costs as
low as possible. Consider these tips from the Insurance Information Institute,
a nonprofit communications organization supported by the insurance industry,
on how to choose the right plan:
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Keep teens on your policy. Typically you'll get a
lower rate if you add your teens to your policy rather than purchasing
a separate one. You can also get a multipolicy discount by adding them.
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Watch out for who is assigned to what car. Many insurers
may assign a teen who is the most expensive to insure to the car that is
the most expensive. Don't let this happen. A cheaper option is to assign
teens to the least expensive car. But remember that this is the car that
they must drive. If they get in an accident in a car that they are not
insured for, penalties and hikes in the premiums will likely follow.
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Add some extra liability insurance. This will help
you get off the hook for any damages caused if your teen gets in an accident
and is shown to be negligent. If your teen does get in an accident, and
the damages exceed your insurance limits, you can be sued for the amounts
not covered by your insurance.
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Increase your deductible. Raising your deductible
will save you money on your premium. For example, going from a $250 deductible
to a $1,000 deductive can save you about 20% on your premium.
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Shop around. Insurance companies price policies for
young drivers at different rates. Go on the Internet and compare prices
before you buy a plan.