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Here is an article which is from Insurancequotes.com but I would like to share it too, since it is something important for Teen safety.

Read first-experieince of a teen- not all are lucky, but you can be if you are careful.

Get teen car insurance quotes here- gauranteed savings.

Lori Johnston

Vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of death among U.S. teens, but for the teen drivers who survive, the pain doesn’t immediately go away. Some teen drivers are on a mission to tell others about the physical, emotional and financial consequences of a crash.

“The biggest effect would either have to be the depression, or the lack of wanting to do anything,” says Tennessee high school senior Joe Polakiewicz, 17, who was injured severely in a car accident in 2010.

Beyond Joe’s emotional strain and staggering physical injuries – including suffering brain trauma and losing a kidney and his spleen – the financial stress is significant. For example, his annual auto insurance premium almost doubled to nearly $3,000.

The crash

Joe, then 16, was driving his yellow Volkswagen Beetle to a friend’s house around 5 p.m. on a clear day in October 2010. State Farm says October is the most dangerous month for teen drivers.

He was coming around a curve on a rural road when his right tire went off the edge. He over-corrected, which caused his car to spin around 180 degrees and shoot across the road. The car hit a tree on the passenger side, splitting the car in two.

His family originally thought he was reading a text behind the wheel, but they determined he had not made any phone calls or done any texting while driving. Joe, who had not been drinking alcohol, cannot remember the details.

Joe’s parents would remind him daily not to speed, make phone calls or text when driving. His mom, Nancy Polakiewicz, says Joe probably had more driving experience than his peers, as his school is 45 minutes from their house.

“We felt that we did everything we could,” she says.

Teen drivers’ mistakes

Trying to determine what teen drivers do wrong has occupied researchers such as those with The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm. A study released in 2011 found these three most common errors teen drivers make that lead to serious crashes:

• 21 percent of crashes were blamed on going too fast for road conditions.

• 21 percent occurred because of distraction by something inside or outside the vehicle.

• 21 percent were attributed to a lack of scanning, which is use to detect and respond to hazards.

Trying to stop accidents at the hands of teen drivers is critical, as teen drivers are involved in fatal crashes at four times the rate of adults, killing an average of 11 teens a day. More than 5,600 fatal crashes involved teen drivers in 2009, according to the National Safety Council.

“No teenager ever leaves the house thinking, ‘Well, I’m just going to smash my car today.’ Neither did Joe. But it happened,” Nancy says. “When you get into the car, driving is your job.”

Barely surviving

Joe was flown to University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The trip by air ambulance took seven minutes; by ground ambulance, it would have taken 40 minutes. When Joe arrived, the only sign of life was a faint pulse in his neck. “He was almost gone at that point,” Nancy recalls.

Doctors had to remove his left kidney and his spleen. He had a torn liver, several fractured vertebrae and ribs, a fractured pelvis and lung bruises. His urethra was cut off from his bladder. He suffered a brain hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury.

Doctors initially gave Joe’s parents little hope that he would survive. He was hospitalized for a month and then moved to a rehabilitation center for three weeks. About 12 hours after he returned home, he had more complications and returned to the hospital for another week. Joe spent about three months in outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy. He’s undergone several more surgeries since his outpatient therapy was completed.

Joe had two catheters for about six months; it was the only way to remove urine from his body. He had reconstructive surgery to repair his urethra and now can urinate on his own.

“They said it would be a miracle if I ever peed again,” he says.

So far, the medical bill – including surgeries, treatment and therapy – exceeds $452,000:

• Nearly $283,000 was covered by insurance.

• Almost $162,000 was written off by health care providers.

• Nearly $7,200 was paid by the family.

His parents withdrew about $10,000 from savings to pay bills. That money replaced wages they lost while Joe was in the hospital and needed to be cared for at home.

What the future holds

Joe and his parents have noticed short-term memory problems and personality changes. They’ve affected his relationships and his performance in school. For instance, he’s now prone to making inappropriate comments.

“Basically, he just blurts out whatever comes through his mind,” Nancy says. “We will just say, ‘Joe, that’s enough.’ Sometimes he doesn’t know when to stop.”

In school, Joe went from someone who didn’t have to study to someone who struggles in the classroom. His injuries have affected other activities, such as working out, that were a regular part of his life. Joe, a former wrestler, still lacks motivation to exercise. “I can’t run or jog anymore. I can’t tell my brain that I’m moving each leg in front of (the other) each time,” he says.

Joe is on track to graduate from high school this spring. Instead of attending a four-year university, he plans to enroll at a two-year community college, which offers smaller classes and one-on-one help, Nancy says.

“People sometimes ask me if you had one wish, what would you wish for? Every time I tell them I wish I could go back to the day before my wreck, because those were my happiest times,” Joe says.

Insurance ‘sticker shock’

The family expected their auto insurance premiums to increase, but not so dramatically. The cost of Joe’s coverage – included in the family’s policy — has nearly doubled since the accident. The annual premium for Joe’s coverage now stands at $2,886.

“It was like sticker shock,” Nancy says. “We told him that he’s really going to have to get a part-time job and help us out with this.”

Looking back, she wished Joe had taken driver’s education or gone to driving school, but they weren’t required for Joe to get his license.

Safe driving

Allison Curry, a researcher at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention who conducted the study about teen crashes, says promoting safe driving skills is as important as preventing bad behavior.

State laws seek to limit behind-the-wheel distractions for teens, such as cellphones and texting, and graduated driver’s licensing programs put caps on the number of passengers for teen drivers. Dr. Dennis Durbin, co-director of the Philadelphia hospital’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention, says formal teen driver training should focus on skills such as observing surroundings far ahead of the vehicle and side to side, which can make drivers more aware of hazards.

Since the accident, Joe has taken a defensive driving course through the local police department and a course through the Drive 4 Life Academy in Knoxville, Tenn., which included 30 hours of classroom education and six hours of one-on-one driving with an instructor. One of the things he learned: how to avoid over-correction in behind-the-wheel emergencies like his car crash.

The new guidelines that Joe follows include this one: Allowing a minimum of three seconds behind a car in front of his and adding another second for every poor driving condition, such as rain, fog or darkness. Studies show that teens are more likely to follow too closely than older drivers.

“You’re pretty far back, but at a high speed, your stopping distance is really, really far,” says Joe, who now drives a white Ford pickup truck.

Driving correctly has resulted in a less stressful and even soothing experience behind the wheel, Joe says. But he recognizes teens have the ability to remove one of the biggest distractions – technology. His message to teen drivers: “Put the phone away. Turn it off and put it in the glove box.”

 

Be safe drive safe- share this and spread the word for Defensive driving, safety and cheap car insurance. Get yours now.

 

Teen auto insurance

Teen auto insurance

Gauranteed cheap teen car insurance for 2012, do not indulge in dui on New Year’s eve.

Teen safety is one of the strong commitment of this blog alongwith giving you the opportunity to grab cheap teen car insurance or cheap car insurance and helping you select the best car insurance for your-self, providing all car insurance related information, news and tips.

Study as per the picture given here shows that teens drink and drive on New Year’s Eve most than any other holiday, and hence this blog post to all my good teen friends, parents and readers with a request to enjoy the New Year’s Eve, keeping in mind some of the tips given here.

Study says more teens drink and drive on New Year’s Eve than on any other holiday
While New Year’s Eve may conjure images of a celebratory toast, it’s also traditionally one of the worst days of the year for alcohol related car crashes and deaths for young drivers. And new data from a 2011 teen driving study by Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) reveals an interesting yet cautionary anomaly: teens believe New Year’s Eve is the most dangerous time of year to drive, yet it also is the holiday or event when teens most frequently drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

According to the survey of nearly 2,300 eleventh and twelfth graders, when teen drivers were asked about how dangerous they feel certain events are for driving and the likelihood of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs on one of these events, New Year’s Eve topped both lists.

Teen driver friends can influence and stop dui – teen safety and cheap teen car insurance.
Teen driver friends who are with the teen can help prevent the accidents even if they are not sitting on the drivers seat. How? Let me explain. Passengers have a powerful influence over drivers.

The large majority of teen drivers say that they would stop driving under the influence of alcohol (94 percent) or marijuana (90 percent) if asked by a passenger. Interestingly, teen passengers say they would be significantly more likely to ask a peer to stop driving after drinking than after using marijuana (87 percent vs. 72 percent), and female passengers are more likely to speak up against either driving behavior than boys (90 percent vs. 83 percent for alcohol; 78 percent vs. 65 percent for marijuana).

“New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate both the past year and the possibilities of the year to come, yet far too often poor decisions by teens result in tragic injuries and deaths,” said Stephen Wallace, Senior Advisor for Policy, Research, and Education at SADD. “To avoid a fatal start to the New Year, teen passengers need to use their voices if they have concerns about their friends’ behaviors. They will be heard.”

So if you are sitting there with your drunk driver friend- stop him- or stop him from taking that extra drink. It is up to you to ensure your and your friends safety!

Family Driving Rules
Parents, too, can play an important role to ensure safety is top of mind on New Year’s Eve. Liberty Mutual/SADD research shows that clear driving ground rules, with mutually agreed upon expectations, consequences and rewards, are effective in curbing unsafe driving behaviors by teens. Parents can set the rules and control them. “Prior to New Year’s Eve, parents need to have a conversation with their teen drivers about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and fatigue as well as how to be a good driver and a good passenger,” said Dave Melton, a driving safety expert with Liberty Mutual and managing director of global safety. “Teens also need to be prepared for dangerous behaviors of other drivers who will be impaired on New Year’s Eve. Having this important conversation provides an opportunity for parents to share their concerns and determine rules and consequences that help their teen driver make healthy, safe choices for themselves and their friends, so they don’t become another headline.”

Yes, stay safe, enjoy the New Year’s Eve, and arrive here to get your cheap teen car insurance. I would really appreciate your driving expereince of the New Year’s eve back home from the party in 2012. Happy 2012 to all my readers. Have fun…. and stay tunned for more fun.

Kamlesh.

Teen auto insurance quote

Teenager car insurance

Auto insurance news :
Auto insurance news : Texting and driving, ban cellphone use when driving ? Missouri tragedy raises questions on teen safety and teen car insurance. Raises questions on US transportation decision.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he won’t back a proposal to prohibit drivers from talking on cellphones, even hands-free devices, giving a boost to car makers and mobile-phone companies that stand to lose if regulators impose a ban.

Do you agree with this as a teenager, student driver or even an adult after knowing about the Missouri news? Today, lets forget about getting cheap car insurance or cheap teen car insurance the consequences of this on car insurance rates, since obviously some or the other insurance company is going to bear the brunt for paying auto insurance claims… high amounts, which is going to increase the car insurance rates for young drivers or teen auto insurance- since the accident below is going to be put under this age group. Lets focus on should talking on cellphone be banned since this is also a distraction?

Here is the incident :

WASHINGTON (AP) — A texting pickup truck driver who caused a deadly highway pileup in Missouri last year has federal accident investigators taking a hard look at the use of distracting devices behind the wheel.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lay out information gathered in its investigation over the past year and a half at a meeting Tuesday to decide the cause of the accident and make safety recommendations.

The board says a 19-year-old driver was texting just before his pickup crashed into the back of a tractor truck, beginning a chain collision. The pickup was rear-ended by a school bus, which in turn was rammed by a second school bus.

The pickup driver and a 15-year-old student on one of the school buses were killed. Thirty-eight other people were injured in the Aug. 5, 2010, accident near Gray Summit, Mo.

Nearly 50 students, mostly members of a high school band from St. James, Mo., were on the buses heading to the Six Flags St. Louis amusement park.

Investigators are seeing texting, cell phone calls and other distracting behavior by operators in accidents across all modes of transportation with increasing frequency, NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said. It has become routine for investigators to immediately request the preservation of cell phone and texting records when they launch an investigation, she said.

In the last few years the board has investigated a commuter rail accident that killed 25 people in California in which the train engineer was texting; a marine accident in Philadelphia in which a tugboat pilot was talking on his cellphone and using a laptop; and a Northwest Airlines flight that flew more than 100 miles past its destination because both pilots were working on their laptops.

“This is trending very hot and it’s a growing concern for the NTSB,” Hersman told The Associated Press.

The board has previously recommended bans on texting and cell phone use by commercial truck and bus drivers and beginning drivers, but it has stopped short of calling for a ban on the use of the devices by adults behind the wheel of passenger cars.

The problem of texting while driving is getting worse despite a rush by states to ban the practice, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said last week. In November, Pennsylvania became the 35th state to forbid texting while driving.

About two out of 10 American drivers overall — and half of drivers between 21 and 24 — say they’ve thumbed messages or emailed from the driver’s seat, according to a survey of more than 6,000 drivers by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

And what’s more, many drivers don’t think it’s dangerous when they do it — only when others do, the survey found.

At any given moment last year on America’s streets and highways, nearly 1 in every 100 car drivers was texting, emailing, surfing the Web or otherwise using a handheld electronic device, the safety administration said. And those activities spiked 50 percent over the previous year.

The agency takes an annual snapshot of drivers’ behavior behind the wheel by staking out intersections to count people using cellphones and other devices, as well as other distracting behavior.

Teen car insurance and distraction
What is important is any distraction is dangerous for new drviers, teen drivers or student drivers since the lack of expereience would slow down the reflexes. Teen safety is in danger and teen car insurance would be high.

Would appreciate your views and comments on whether cellphones should be banned when driving- not to use at all – you would not text or talk?

Stay safe and have a safe and Merry Christmas.
Kamlesh

Teen auto insurance quotes

Best car insurance

johnny knox : I am worried about my 16 year old son behind the wheel. Getting cheap car insurance is one thing, but I do not want him to become a crash test dummy. Yes, more anxious about this since I work for Highway safety and the crash test dummy team.

How to avoid letting your teen driver become a crash test dummy?

Response : Hey, Johnny, you I think are in a better position to guide your son and us all for this. Teen safety is very important – more than getting cheap teen auto insurance. Here are some clues- will appreciate if you would add your own points to them.

The first 30 days solo behind the wheel are the most dangerous for teen drivers, who are 50 percent more likely to crash during that time than they are after a year of experience on the road, according to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

They’re also twice as likely to get into a wreck in that first month as they are after two years of driving on their own, the study says. The most common mistakes causing an accident during the first month in which teens were at least partially responsible include speeding, not paying attention and failure to yield.

Teen drivers are inexperienced, which often equates to high teen car insurance rates or young drivers car insurance for parents. But fortunately, teens learn fast.

The AAA study analyzed specific types of collisions in relation to how long the driver had been licensed and found that some types of crashes significantly decreased as experience increased. For instance, wrecks involving left-hand turns were common during the first few months, but declined almost immediately thereafter, according to the study.

“We know that young drivers’ crash rates decrease quickly as they gain experience. What our new study tells us is that there are a few specific abilities that we could do a better job of helping teens develop before they begin driving independently,” Peter Kissinger, AAA Foundation president and CEO, said in a statement.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death among teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths for this demographic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Teen Driver Safety Week kicks off this week, with the theme this year focusing on ways to help parents teach their teens to drive.

“This research serves as a great reminder for parents to stay involved in the learning process even after the law allows teens to drive without a parent in the car,” Kissinger said in a statement. “Continued parent engagement can help teens gain needed driving experience and shape their habits for a lifetime of safe driving.”

There are a few tips parents can use to help inexperience teen drivers stay safe, says Bill Wade, national program manager of Street Survival, a group that teaches teen driving safety. Tips you can use include:

Limiting the number of passengers your teen is allowed to have in the carContinuing to chaperone practice driving sessionsInstructing your teen to wear a safety belt Prohibiting your teen from driving at night

Many states already set limits on new teen drivers by enacting graduated driver’s license rules that include curfews and passenger limits, Wade says. However, parents still need to be vigilant. 

“For a 16-year-old driver, the incident rate goes up 35 [percent] when there’s another 16-year-old in the car, and when there are two passengers that age, it goes up 70 percent, so things like limiting passengers, these things are important,” says Wade. “These kids are not drinking, they’re not necessarily doing anything wrong, they’re just 16-year-olds driving.”

Johnny, your views would be appreciated.

Thanks and do not forget to get your cheap teen auto insurance quote here.

Best car insurance

Teen auto insurance

hanley ramirez : What are some of the common questions or tips to calculate your savings on cars and auto insurance, especially when buying a car for a teen.

Calculate Your Savings on Cars and Auto Insurance

There are lots of things to consider when you buy a car for your teen. Obviously teen safety is the prime consideration, On this site, you would find all your answers. However here are some common questions which I have answered for you.

Trying to save money on cars and auto insurance often means asking some tough questions about cutting costs or spending more. Should you follow these “tips” or save your time and money?

Should you: Raise your deductibles for comprehensive and collision coverage?
Quick answer: It really depends.

When it comes to saving money on car insurance, how do you figure out whether you should give up a little coverage or pay a little more for a lower deductible?

The effect of raising or lowering deductibles for comprehensive and collision coverages varies between car insurance companies and is different for each situation, so there is no “quick answer” to this question. Until you see actual prices for different deductibles, you won’t know whether it’s worth it.

The price of your car, the cost to repair your car, how likely it is to be stolen, and where you live (city, suburb or the country) can all affect the final price you pay for car insurance. If you’re paying a lot, you can save more. If your rates are relatively low, it’s harder to squeeze out savings by simply raising your comprehensive and collision deductibles.

The average driver has a Comp or collision loss every seven to 10 years. If you can save $75 each year by raising your collision deductible from $500 to $1000, and you don’t have a collision loss for 10 years, you will have saved $750 in premium payments – but would pay an additional $500 deductible if you have an accident. Net savings: $250.

To see how your rates compare to average quotes in your area, check out our RateWatch for Car Insurance. If you’re paying more than the average driver in your area, it’s a good idea to compare rates and consider higher deductibles.

Should you: Get a vehicle history report before you buy a used car?
Quick answer: Yes.

This decision is easy. Always get a vehicle history report on a used car before you buy it, (unless it’s the car your grandmother drove only to church for the past 10 years). Some sellers and dealers offer these reports as a selling point – and be sure to check it thoroughly to make sure it matches the dealer’s description. A vehicle history report is a relatively cheap way to make sure you’re not making an avoidable mistake.

The largest provider of vehicle history reports, Carfax, charges around $30 for a single report, $35 for 10, and $40 for as many as you want in a month. A typical report includes accidents, recalls, current mileage, number and type of owners, suspicious odometer readings, whether the car was totaled or turned in as a lemon, and more. Some providers, such as Carfax, have even started to include service records.

In addition to getting an official vehicle history, check online ratings for safety and read consumer reviews about service issues. The good news about buying a car is that it’s easier than ever to spot potential problems!

^ Back to top.

Should you: Buy an extended warranty for a new or used car?
Quick answer: Do the math and be careful.

In this economy, people are more likely to buy a used car than a new one, and that raises the question of protecting your investment with an extended warranty. One option is to buy a certified used car, which means that the car has been inspected thoroughly and the manufacturer has extended its own original warranty to cover the car for an additional period. If the terms are the same as a new car warranty, this option is often worth the additional price, because it means you won’t pay for repairs to faulty parts, the same as with a new car.

Some dealerships will offer an aftermarket warranty from a third-party provider, which may be an insurance company or a warranty company. Make sure you compare prices for different protection levels and deductible amounts. And, be aware that some companies will make you pay for repairs out of pocket and reimburse you later. Some warranty contracts will insist on approving repairs or repair shops before work can be started, and some deductibles will apply on a per part basis, rather than a per visit basis. These differences could be key if you’re comparing two warranties that are otherwise similar. If the cost seems high and the actual coverage looks limited, you might want to save your money.

Cheap auto insurance