
Auto insurance premiums for young drivers can be heart-attack-inducing. More than a few parents must have been forced to choose between using their savings for their child’s college fees, or for their auto insurance. But why exactly are teen drivers such an expensive proposition for insurance companies?
- Young Drivers Are An Unknown Risk: Insurance calculations partly base their calculations on a driver’s prior history. Teens are an unknown quantity because they only just started driving. Therefore, insurance carriers assume the worst-case scenario when assessing premiums. It’s up to the young driver to maintain a clean driving record for the first few years and then premiums will start to come down.
- Young Drivers Have More Accidents: A fact of life is that young drivers have more accidents than older ones. This is supported by a large amount of data gathered over many years. Insurance is a risk pool where everyone must pay for the accidents of others – therefore it is not surprising that younger drivers are expected to pay a higher proportion of the costs!
- Young Drivers Are Less Experienced: It takes a long time to build good driving skills, especially when handling emergency situations. Defensive, risk-averse driving is something that takes many years to master. Young drivers tend to misjudge situations on the road, and are more prone to panic or over-correct.
- Young Drivers Are More Prone To Distracted Driving: Ever seen a young person NOT using a cellphone?! Take a moment to observe other drivers on the road (but obviously not while you are driving!). It is hardly surprising that distracted driving contributes to an ever-increasing percentage of serious accidents among young drivers.
- Young Drivers Are Crazier Drivers: Science supports the assertion that teen drivers are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors. High-risk driving on the highway is not an attractive prospect for insurers. Young men are especially likely to speed, tailgate, and have an overly inflated opinion of their own driving skills.
One of the best ways to save money is to shop your auto insurance with a range of different providers. At Memorial Insurance Agency in Houston, Texas, we have a wide range of options to choose from – give us a call for a quote today.