Talk To Your Newly Licensed Teenager About These Driving Issues That Could Affect Your Insurance Rate
It's a big accomplishment for your teenager to receive his or her driver's license, but until the teen also gets his or her own auto insurance policy (from an outlet such as http://www.martininsurancecompany.com), you need to be sure that the teen's actions while behind the wheel don't impact your policy in any way. It's one thing for the teenager to be in an accident — but another thing entirely for him or her to engage in some form of unsafe driving and receive a ticket that could impact your insurance rate if it occurs frequently enough. Although you might have consistently discussed the need to drive safely, here are three things that teens might be tempted to do — and why you need to reinforce the importance of avoiding the temptation.
Driving While Distracted
Checking the smartphone while behind the wheel certainly isn't limited to only teenagers, but in an era in which many teens are glued to their phones, it can be overly tempting for them to send text messages, check their email, play with chat apps or otherwise use their phones while driving. You need to impress upon your teenager that police officers in many states will ticket you for driving while handling a phone and that the ticket amount can be significant. If your teen gets repeated distracted driving tickets, there's a chance that your insurance rates could change, so make sure your child knows to keep the phone out of reach while driving.
Street Racing
Many adrenaline-filled teenagers might face the temptation to meet up with their friends and race down the street. Not only is doing so extremely dangerous and carries a high risk of being in an accident, but there's also the risk of receiving a street racing ticket. In many areas, police officers can hand out larger tickets when they deem that drivers are racing. This will carry a hefty fine, might even include a suspension of the teenager's license and can affect your insurance rate.
Driving Under The Influence
Your teenager needs to know that driving after drinking simply cannot happen. However, given that your teen isn't of legal drinking age, it's possible that he or she might consume alcohol at a party and drive home in an attempt to avoid letting you know what has happened. Make sure the teen knows this behavior is highly dangerous and could affect your insurance rate. It's better to tell your tell to call you for a ride, even if he or she is afraid of doing so. And, as a parent, you need to remember that getting this call shows a degree of trust.
Share