Tag: teen driver

Apps to Keep Your Teen Driver Safe

Posted on by butlervetinsurance

Apps help us with all facets of our life, and they can even help keep your teen driver safe. 

Getting a driver’s license is like a right of passage for most teens. It’s their first taste of real freedom. Unfortunately for them, the taste of freedom is eerily similar to the taste of growing up and responsibility. Nonetheless, teens are teens and parents are parents. Some parents may not trust their teens to drive–at least for the first few months post-driver’s license. If you want to make sure that your teen is practicing safe driving, download these apps.

Driving Apps for Teen Safety

Drive Smart

Price: Free for the first seven days, then a one-time payment of $14.99 for a lifetime subscription.

Function: With both the basic and plus versions, drivers can set their phone into drive mode, which sends all calls to voicemail while texts are muted and reply with an automatic response. Exclusive to the plus version is the ability to detect when the smartphone is in a moving vehicle and automatically activates the program. The driver can disable this lock, but this notifies the parents.

Canary

Price: Basic version is free; Drive Smart Plus is $4.99 per month.

Function: This app monitors your child’s driving practices. You receive real-time notifications of your teen’s driving behavior, including things like texting, calling, exceeding a predetermined speed limit, encroaching off-limit areas, or staying past curfew. This app drains the battery, so make sure they have a charger in their car to keep their phone from dying.

When it comes to protecting your car, having the right team of insurance experts behind you can give you the peace of mind that you deserve. Contact the experts at Stromsoe Insurance Agency for all of your commercial insurance coverage needs. We will work with you to ensure you have the right amount of protection, all at the right price to fit your budget.

How To: Teach Your Teen to Drive

Posted on by butlervetinsurance

If you’ve got a teen driver on your hands, here’s what you need to know.

Like all children, teens desire independence. The thought of being able to drive themselves is an exciting thing that all teens want. But in reality, car accidents are the leading cause of death for this age group and safety must be a huge part of what they learn before getting behind the wheel.

As a parent, you have the power to get through to them. They may have daydreams of cruising to the beach with their friend without a care in the world, but you must bring them back to earth about what the realities of driving.

Here are some little things you can do to improve the chance that they stay safe and learn how to be responsible drivers:

  • “Passenger seat” supervision is a great way to give your teen support and also guide them while they are actually driving.
  • Build confidence with small trips of 5-10 miles in areas that are familiar.
  • Make sure they are driving a safe car with good brakes, good steering, and airbags.
  • Check that your criticism is gentle and constructive. Creating a stressful environment for your teen to learn driving can be just as damaging as no help at all since it teaches your teen to associate driving with being on edge.
  • Make sure your teen knows what to do if there is an accident.
  • The average teen has 3 accidents between the ages of 16-20. Make a contract with them to lessen these odds. Your contract should include:
    • A stipulation that good grades earn driving privileges.
    • No texting or phone while driving
    • Zero tolerance regarding alcohol/drugs and driving
    • Observing curfew
    • Observing rules about passengers
    • Obeying the traffic laws. Traffic tickets should have major consequences like suspension of privileges.

Your teen’s safety is in your hands. If you take the time to show them how important their well being is to you, they will eventually listen.

Is your teen covered out on the road? For all of your auto insurance needs in California, including coverage for your teen driver, contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency.

Auto Insurance Discounts for Teen Drivers

Posted on by butlervetinsurance

It is no surprise that insuring teen drivers can be costly. Teen drivers are viewed as inexperienced drivers and are more likely to be involved in auto accidents and receive traffic tickets. While elevated rates are inevitable when it comes to insuring your teen driver, there are still ways for you to lower your auto insurance premium, including:

  • How many times have you threatened taking away privileges if your child does not maintain a strong grade point average? Now, they actually have incentive! Students that maintain a B average, or 3.0 GPA, will receive a substantial discount for being a good student. The good student discount can be your ticket to encouraging your child to receive good grades.
  • Many insurance companies will reward inexperienced drivers who take defensive driving courses with an insurance discount. Whether you have already taken Driver’s Ed to receive your license or not, the refresher on basic driving rules proves that you want to be a safer driver.
  • While your new teen driver may be begging for that new red sports car, it is smarter if you go for an older and more practical vehicle. Sensible vehicles are less expensive to insure, especially when there is a teen driver behind the wheel of it.
  • If you are looking for a big way to save, you may want to consider increasing your deductible. This will provide you with a smaller premium amount, however, you must be ready to pay the elevated deductible if you are involved in an accident. It is important that you do not make this change without considering actually having to pay the deductible.

Contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency in Murrieta for all of your California auto insurance needs. Insuring your teen driver does not have to break the bank with a comprehensive auto insurance policy from Stromsoe Insurance Agency! Allow us to safeguard your most prized asset at an affordable rate.

How To Lower The Cost Of Insuring Your Teen Driver

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If you have a teenage driver on your hands, you know that your auto insurance premium is highly affected by adding them to your coverage. However, you don’t have to be emptying the bank account to insure your teen driver. Back to school time is the perfect opportunity to think about how you can save on your auto insurance.

As you watch your teen driver pull out of the driveway, you have a magnitude of worries crossing your mind. On top of worrying about their safety, you have to think about the costs associated with their new found freedom. The costs continue to build up as you purchase a car for them to drive, driving school, a driver’s license, and of course, their auto insurance. Many parents of new teen drivers fail to realize that they still have options to keep the costs low.

When choosing your teen driver’s first car, think about the insurance implications. Vehicles that require comprehensive and collision coverage will be more expensive to insure. If you purchase an older, yet reliable vehicle for your teen driver, you may only need to purchase liability insurance, keeping the costs down.

Additionally, you must take advantage of the discounts available to you. If your child takes additional driver’s education courses, they may be eligible to receive a discount. Is your child tired of hearing you encourage them to keep their grades up? You now have the luxury of saying that they will not be allowed to drive unless they maintain a B average. That way, they will be receiving the good student discount and your auto insurance premium will not be as high.

The insurance experts at Stromsoe Insurance Agency can answer any remaining questions you may have regarding insuring your teen driver. We can help you review your current policy and help you manage the cost of insuring your teen. Contact us today!

Don’t Let Insuring Your Teen Driver Break the Bank

Posted on by butlervetinsurance

As if you aren’t frightened when you see your teen take to the road in your vehicle for the first time, you’re in better shape than most parents experiencing it. However, that relaxed feeling certainly won’t remain once you realize how costly insuring your teen driver can be.

Of course, auto insurance doesn’t have to break the bank, even if you have more than one teen driver in the home. There are several approaches you can encourage your teen to take to lower those high insurance premiums.

Defensive Driving Course – Although not typically required to earn a license, a defensive driving course can reduce your teens chance of having an accident as well as lower your auto insurance.

Good Grades – Many companies will offer teen drivers a discount for maintaining good grades in school – A bonus for everyone!

Make & Model – If your teen is driving a sports car or flashy SUV, particularly a newer model, expect to pay extra for that. By choosing an economical car with a good safety rating, you’ll not only feel better about your teen’s safety on the road, but your insurance premium will reflect it through savings.

If you want more information about how to save money and get discounts for teen driver auto insurance, Contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency – the California insurance professionals.

How Do I Find Affordable Car Insurance For My Teen Driver?

Posted on by butlervetinsurance

If your teen is getting ready to put their hands to the wheel, it’s time to think seriously about auto insurance options – a dreadful thought for many parents, but with a little research and careful planning you might be able to obtain affordable Auto insurance for your teen. Let’s explore some ways to lessen the cost of your teen’s Auto insurance.

Proper Driver Training

Many teens opt for driver’s education in high school, and this is a wonderful way to decrease your teen’s Auto insurance rates right from the beginning. Many Auto insurance companies offer discounts to those who have completed a driver’s education course successfully. Not to mention driver’s education provides proper on-the-road training for your teen. The instructor can teach all the written and “unspoken” rules of the road while also showing proper driving techniques, including defensive driving. Knowing how to drive properly helps decrease the chances of careless driving, thus making your teen a much safer driver.

Law versus Fun

Emphasize to your teen that although driving is fun, it’s also a serious responsibility. Make sure they understand how the law works and the stiff penalties for speeding, racing, careless driving, drunk driving, running stop signs or red lights, not wearing seatbelts, parking in undesignated areas, etc. Explain that even one traffic offense can eliminate their chances for affordable Auto insurance in years to come, and might even cause them to lose their driving privileges for a while.

Does Your Teen Make the Grade?

Some insurers offer discounts to students who keep their grades up. This is somewhat of a reward for you as a parent and for your teen if they get good grades or maintain a high GPA (grade point average). Your Auto insurance company might offer this discount because insurers feel that a teen who demonstrates responsibility and carefulness in school is more likely to do the same while behind the wheel of an automobile. This can be used as an incentive for your teen as well. You might even offer a bonus allowance to your teen for keeping their grades up, using the money you’ll save with cheaper Auto insurance!

Choose Cars Wisely

Teens and sports cars – these words shouldn’t be used in the same sentence if you’re shopping for Auto insurance. Insurance companies frown upon teens buying or driving sports cars, even if the teen is a safe driver. Sports cars in general tend to carry higher insurance rates for drivers of all ages, but teens are especially vulnerable to temptation when it comes to showing off their new car and testing how fast it will go. Opt for a sedan or family-style car with all the safety features possible. The good thing about safety features is your insurance company might offer discounts for certain safety features such as anti-lock brakes, air bags, added frame support, and others.

Opt for an Add-On to Your Policy

When your teen first starts driving, consider adding them to your current insurance policy for a while. You can do this as long as you remain the primary driver of your vehicle. It is also recommneded that your youthful operator be added to your policy until age 18 since parents are likely responsible until the youth reaches 18 anyway. Also you will enjoy the lower rates based on the discounts earned under your current policy and age. If they only have a learner’s permit, check with your insurance agent FIRST to find out if they should be added to the policy as a driver. Most (not all) will cover teen drivers automatically under your policy while driving with a permit.

 Ask Us About ALL of the Discounts

Cosult with one of our experienced insurance professionals. We can assist you in achieving the delicate balance between price and protection.

Having a teen driver creates awareness about road safety and Auto insurance like nothing else. Use these tips to guide you as you shop for Auto insurance that will provide the most coverage for your money. Call our office today 877-994-6787 or 951-600-5751 for more information on your teen driver’s insurance protection, afree copy of our special report “101 Tips on Teen Driver Safety” and a complimentary copy of our teen driver contract.