Teen auto insurance rates and gas prices? How are they related?
Are higher gas prices an advantage to teen auto insurance rates?
Gas prices have been much higher for this year compared to what the past few years. In reality the gas prices is like a two-edged sword for teen drivers and parents. The crunch is felt by us since the present economic scenario has been one of turmoil and turbulence for us all.
Teen drives crashes are on a decline during the past few years and this change has helped in giving rewards in the form of cheap car insurance quotes, for the few who are considered to be good drivers. The high price of gasoline is a push and pull, a double-edged sword, for teen driver safety. The young driver car insurances are on a decline since the accidents have reduced. The positive factors which have helped in the reduction of teen auto insurance accidents are :
• The stricter Graduated Driver Laws have helped a lot in preventing inexperience and unconfident drivers from coming on the road.
• Parents have become more attentive.
• Insurance companies have started offering discounts for installing GPS or electronic devices to monitor the mileage. This also helps in measuring the driving habits of teens on the road and gives them an idea to judge their own driving and improve their mistakes.
• Driving has become more expensive with rising gasoline prices and the economic recession. Obviously, as driving becomes more expensive, all drivers, and especially teens and people whose income has declined, drive fewer miles.
• This summer we see another facet of the realty of the economic downturn for decades, summer jobs have been a key source of gas money for young drivers, but this year summer employment has been as difficult for teens as we parents can remember. Thus, fewer jobs, less income, and less driving equal fewer crashes and injuries.
• The high cost of refueling also has the beneficial effect of limiting teens to purposeful driving and reducing joyriding. Parents are clamping down out of economic necessity, not just safety, on their teens taking the car to hang out with friends. In this way, more expensive gas directly reduces a mode of teen driving — without a purpose, route, timetable, and consequence for arriving late — that is among the most dangerous for teens.
You can certainly hope for cheap car insurance and cheap teen auto insurance rates in these times since the rates are on a decline due to better claims experience.
Higher gas prices is also adversely affecting young drivers and auto insurances.
The other side of the scale is that it does not mean that the young drivers are benefiting from this, nor are the insurance companies. Here are the reasons for making such a bold statement :
• The expensive gas prices are reducing the driving for young drivers. The teens get less practice behind the wheel; instruction itself has become more financially burdensome. *
• Another negative is that parents are economically motivated to bend or violate state driving laws. They prefer to combine driving practice with times when siblings and other illegal passengers are in the car, even if this practice is against the law (several states now have similar rules) because experts consider it unsafe. Paradoxically, gas prices get in the way of the precious hours of practice that teen driver laws promote, and this can lead parents to set a bad example by allowing teens to drive in illegal situations.
• A third, significant result of the cost of gas for teen drivers is the incentive to share the pump price with passengers. As the literature and research on teen driving clearly establish, teen driver crash rates go up substantially with each additional passenger who is not an instructor or supervisor. On the other hand, $4.00 per gallon and higher prices, especially for teens driving every day to school, a job, or community service or events, are a compelling reason to divide the expense.
In-experience behind the wheel is a leading cause of accidents since the new drivers would certainly hamper their judgmental decisions.
Steps for safety, minimizing expense and getting cheap teen auto insurances
It is naturally a time to make hard choices, but its best to make the right choices. The choices which would be wise in the long run, ensure teen safety and cut the cost of teen auto insurance in future are :
• use gas prices to help your teens learn the reality that driving can be financially expensive;
• take the reduction in teen driving that results from high gas prices as a net gain for safety;
• don’t give in to the temptation or incentive to use high gas prices as an excuse to violate teen river laws;
• accept that high gas prices give parents another good reason to say no to teens who want to go for a joyride; and
• understand that when comparing the costs of gas with the costs of injury or even loss of life, there is no comparison.
Lets spread the message. Your thoughts and ideas would be appreciated to be shared.
You are smart aren’t you. Make the right choice now- get your teen auto insurance quotes to speed towards cheap car insurances – for today and your life time. Be a winner.
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