As summer comes to a close and your family heads back to school this is a perfect time to review your insurance policy and take advantage of all it has to offer to keep your youthful drivers safe.
Give your agent a call and review the following checklist of items.
1. Policy discounts (Military, Good Student, Distant student, Driver training)
Most companies will apply an adjusted rate for drivers (not just students) who are overseas without a car while serving in the Military. (Contact your agent for full details)
A Good Student discount may be available for full time students ages 16-24 with a valid driver’s license. Each qualifying youthful driver in your house can receive the Good Student discount, it is not limited to a certain number of students.
The next discount to ask about is the “Distant student” If you child is living away at school more than 100 miles without their car your policy may qualify for a lower rate.
The “Driver training” discount is applied to newly added drivers that have recently completed driver training in order to obtain their driver’s license.
2. Telematics
A great way to monitor your teens driving habits and possibly earn a lower rate is by participating in your insurance company’s telematics program. Each company has their own program. Most of the active programs at the moment are a simple as downloading a mobile app will automatically activate and monitor things such as distracted driving, speed, hard breaking, fast acceleration and the time of day that they are driving. It will send you weekly progress reports so that you can see how they are scoring in the program and what driving habits they may want to improve on.
In the state of Ohio alone since 2013 there have been more than 100,00 accidents caused by distractive driving. These types of programs are a wonderful way to not only bring awareness to this serious issue but hopefully help put a stop to it.
3. Driver Safety courses
Some insurance companies even offer driver safety courses through the BMW or online through the company. Some of these are virtual and include real life driving simulations that your teen driver may encounter while on the road. This will help better prepare them for the steps to take when and if they are ever in an auto accident.
4. Driving exposures
Talk to your agent if your youthful driver is participating in any kind of delivery or ridesharing program. Most policies will exclude this type of exposure, but it is a good idea to have a discussion and find out if there are any options available.
All discounts and driving programs available are subject to eligibility and factors including their driving record could change the terms at any time.
Along with talking to your agent be sure to also communicate with your youthful driver and make sure they are fully prepared before heading out on the road.
• Do they have a current auto ID card and vehicle registration?
• Do they have an auto safety kit with jumper cables, a flashlight or perhaps a small first aid kit?
• Do they know the emergency numbers to call if they need roadside assistance?
By keeping an open line of communication between you, your young driver and your insurance agent you are helping keep them and others safe on the road.
Posted by Rachel Clark in Back to School and Back on the Road