Many parents will buy their teenagers their first used car shortly after they turn sixteen. Once mom or dad has helped their teenage driver find a good and reliable used car it is time to find car insurance that won’t cost them an arm and a leg for their new driver. New drivers will typically have higher premiums than older drivers who have more driving experience.
Even though new drivers are considered inexperienced, the premium that you pay doesn’t have to empty your checking account. In fact, parents can save a little bit of money by using their existing insurance policy. Many companies will offer “multi” discounts. This means that if the policyholder has more than one car on their policy, then they will usually get a discount on the additional cars. Other insurance companies will offer auto and home insurance together and this can make paying your insurance even easier. If you are adding a new driver and car to the policy you may receive multi-driver and multi-car discounts.
If the new driver has had a driver education course such as Driver’s Ed in high school, then you may also be able to receive a discount. Many schools offer these courses and if they do not, you may find them available through private companies. You can also take the course and receive a discount for both you and your new driver. Many insurance companies offer these discounts and because many states are requiring that students take these courses, then the situation is even better for you.
Some insurance companies also offer a Good Student discount. These programs award students by offering discounts to students who make good grades in school. If a student also takes a defensive driving course voluntarily, you may also be able to save by sending the certificate to the insurance company, as most insurance companies offer defensive driving discounts as long as the course was not a requirement for a speeding ticket.
Teens have higher accident numbers than any other age of driver. As they progress from being 16 to 17 to 18, their driving gets better as they gain experience. This is why it is important to be prepared for teen car insurance to be more expensive when they first begin driving. They are a higher risk because they tend to be involved in many more accidents. As a parent, you will need to expect to pay that higher premium, but as the teen becomes more experience you can expect that premium to begin dropping on a yearly basis. To make car insurance more affordable for your teen, you should be prepared to budget in that amount when purchasing them a used car.
Car insurance is also a good opportunity for students to learn responsibility. They should be able to help parents pay the premium through summer or part time jobs. They should also learn the effect that a traffic ticket or accident will have on their premium. They will also be able to see how being a good student allows you and them to save money on their insurance.
For more Car buying tips visit Atlanta Used Cars at http://www.UsedCarsAtlanta.us and Dallas Used Cars at http://www.UsedCarsDallas.us.
Kevin Lloyd
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/car-insurance-for-a-new-driver-107339.html
#1 by horror_james on March 25th, 2009
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Does uninsured driver insurance cover a hit and run in California?
Hi! My car was smashed by a hit and run driver (fortunately I was not in it). Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that the police are going to find them. I only have liability insurance.
I have found several anecdotal accounts of people in California having their uninsured driver insurance, included in liability, cover damage to the vehicle caused by a hit and run. A lawyer also told me this is the case (he was not soliciting my business but happened to be passing by when I found my wrecked car). My insurance company told me that in California, uninsured driver insurance only covers KNOWN uninsured drivers, and if they don't know who hit you, you're out of luck.
Does anybody know if there is some legal loophole I can throw at the insurance company or anything? Or is this kind of thing at the insurance company's discretion? I don't know how other people could have gotten paid for their cars in this situation if it's really not required by law. Thank you.
Additional info: I do have uninsured driver insurance, for both bodily injury and property damage…my company includes it in liability.
#2 by lucy on March 25th, 2009
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i live in the state of indiana; even if your have uninsured motorist on your policy, unless you can ID the responsible party, you cannot file an uninsured property damage claim on your auto; this is by statute;
its a catch 22; if you cant ID, you dont have a claim; the point is, you cant ID someone, so you cant go after someone; get it;
but if you were in the auto and injured, then it does not apply for uninsured injuries;
my feeling is that this was created because too many people reported damages to their auto for unknown reasons and wanted to file under uninsured property damages, so they said you had to ID the responsible party and if not, you had no claim;
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#3 by halsca on March 25th, 2009
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If you only have liability then unless you can provide some sort of proof as to hit your car you're out of luck. In order to have coverage for something like that you need comprehensive or collision insurance in addition to basic PL&PD.
As stated before too many people have simply had a friend wreck their car or had an accident themselves and tried to collect on it.
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#4 by peedlepup on March 25th, 2009
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Most insurance companies in California offer Uninsured/Under insured coverage as additional coverage that you pay an additional (modest) premium for just like Comp and Collision. You are very foolish if you don't carry it with all the illegal aliens, etc on the road.
Since you elected to only carry Liability coverage you're on your own for the repairs to your car. If you had taken this coverage it would have covered the damage done by a hit & run driver, at least the carrier I use would have. Your insurance agent gave you incorrect information. Sorry.
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