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It is a well known fact that teenagers have one of the highest premium rates around. Why is this you ask? Why are they picking on the Youngsters? The insurance company sees them as the greatest risk. The insurance companies can not be blamed; however, it is the statistics that back their decision. When really looking at the whole picture, you can see why insurance companies give teens the “shaft” when it comes to automobile insurance.
Why Teens Are Risks
1. Distractions: Distractions can be a million things to a teenager. Some of these distractions are: cell phones, friends, music, racing, and just random sightseeing.
2. Experience: A teenager is not experienced at driving. This is one of the biggest marks against them.
3. Emotions: Teenagers are very emotional. It is a fact that people should not drive emotional. This can greatly detract from safe driving. When a person id emotional, that is all they are thinking about. They are not thinking about the little girl on the bicycle in front of them of the red light they just ran. Emotions people can drive with are: anger, sadness, rage and overly excited.
4. Under the Influence: Many teenagers, although not legally allowed, drink and do drugs. If a teenager drinks, many times they will not have the sense to stay where they are at. Also, many teens think it is ok to smoke pot and then drive, thinking that marijuana does not affect the senses. These are things many teens do whether experimenting or on a normal basis.
5. They think they are invincible. Teens do not think something can happen to them until it does. And even when something does happen to them, nine out of ten times, they will take the risk on it again. Having this perception allows teens to take risky behavior with a grain of salt.
What Can Teens do To Lower Premiums?
The good news is; there are steps teens can take to lower their policy premiums. Here are a few of them to consider:
1. Make sure you take a driving course. Driving courses are offered locally and online.
2. Shop around for insurance. There are so many insurance companies out there and they all want your business. Take the time to take advantage of this factor being in your favor.
3. Keep your grades high. Maintain at least a B average to get a discount on automobile insurance. Most insurance companies offer this discount to teenagers all the way to college students.
4. Maintain a good, clean, and safe driving record. Fewer marks on your record get you a better rate. No tickets can be very awarding for future insurance inquires.
5. Drive safely. Pay attention to drivers around you, do not drive emotionally, yield to pedestrians and traffic devices, slow down in unfavorable conditions, and do not speed. This will help ensure you are driving as defensively as possible. In turn, this will help eliminate and lower accident risks. As soon as you get in an accident or get a ticket, your insurance rate goes up.
With this being said, it is definitely apparent that teen drivers have a lot going against them. It is up to the teenager to do what they can now to lower rates by getting discounts and showing preventative actions, and then maintaining a strong, safe and clean driving record. After a few years, a teenager can reevaluate their insurance carrier to make sure they are getting the best rate. If they are not, switch, it is as easy as that.
Even the most careful driver will have broken a speed limit at some time or another. We all do it, some by lack of concentration, some by failing to notice the speed limit, some because we're running late, and other simply because it gives them a buzz.
The fact is that if we exceed the prescribed speed limits for a stretch of road we run the risk of being punished. Whether we're caught by a speed camera or a police officer it's going to cost. Precisely how much usually depends on the particular speed limit you exceeded and by how much it was exceeded. And despite the proclaimed fairness of the British Courts, your fine may also be influenced by which court you find yourself in and whether the magistrate had a good lunch! Even if it's a relatively minor speeding offence, don't expect to come away with change out of £60. And if you were over the ton on a motorway, a £500 fine would be cheap and you'd be luck to keep your licence.
So that leads on to penalty points. All speeding offences attract penalty points. Exactly how many again depends on the circumstances of the offence but generally you can expect three penalty points for a minor speeding offence. In indirectly, penalty points can be very expensive. Insurance companies take a great interest in their clients driving record and take the number of penalty points on your licence, and the reasons for their existence, as a reliable guide to the level risk they are taking by insuring you. So penalty points will certainly result in your insurance company increasing your premium on your next renewal. And the more powerful you car is, the greater the risk and the more the insurance company becomes concerned!
Accumulating points on your licence is also a dangerous affair. If you have been driving for more than two years and have accumulated 12 penalty points in the space of three years, you can expect an automatic ban. For inexperienced drivers who have held a full driving licence for less than two years, an automatic ban comes into force with just six penalty points and you have to retake your driving test once the driving ban has expired.
The highest cost with driving fast comes with the escalating chances of an accident. If your excessive speed was a factor in an accident, not only could you lose your no claims bonus but you could get between 3 and 11 penalty points for dangerous driving. And the loss of your no claims bonus would mean that the following year the cost of your car insurance would rocket.
Are fines, penalty points and higher insurance costs the most defining costs for excessive speed? No! Don't forget the human cost. You might not worry about injuring yourself in an accident, but have a care for the other road users and pedestrians. Injuries can ruin lives and deaths devastate families.
You might think that it would never happen to you – but it can.
Take care and remember – excessive speed kills.