29th Oct 2009

Car Insurance For Teenagers – A Brief Guide

You need to find a car insurance for teenagers quote, right? Now, anyone looking for teenage car insurance merely has to use a quote comparison site instead of contacting a representative from each car insurance agency. The usual information that you will need to give in order to get car insurance for teenagers is listed below.

These are the sort of questions that you will typically be asked when shopping for car insurance for teens online. It would help if you had this information available before going online.

Driver Information
* Name
* Gender
* Marital status
* Date of birth
* Address
* Length of time licensed
* Traffic violation and accident history (usually within the last three years)
* Relationship to policyholder if additional driver

Car Information
* Year of manufacture
* Make and model
* Estimated value
* Annual mileage
* Type of coverage desired (see below)
* Type of use

The more common types of teenage car insurance coverage -

Liability Car Insurance
This coverage is mandatory in most states but the exact amount of coverage required differs from state to state. For instance California requires 15/30/5 coverage. This means that for injuries caused to others by an accident that is the driver’s fault a minimum coverage of $15,000 is required for each person up to a maximum of $30,000 coverage for multiple injured people. In addition, a minimum of $5,000 is required towards the repairs of damage caused to other people’s property.

It should be stressed that the above figures are only the minimum legal requirements and in reality do not provide adequate coverage. The difference between the minimum and actual costs would have to come out of the policyholder’s pocket.

Comprehensive Coverage
This covers a vehicle that is stolen, suffers fire damage or is vandalized. It the vehicle concerned is being financed then the lender usually requires that they have this auto insurance coverage in order to ensure that the vehicle in which they have invested will be repaired if involved in an accident.

Collision Coverage
Collision coverage can cover the costs of your vehicle damages but cars with a value below $1,000 should not have collision cover because in the event of an accident you will not receive any compensation if your deductible is equal or greater than it’s cash value.

No Fault auto Auto Insurance Cover
Sometimes, attempts to sort out who is responsible for an auto accident can drag on for years while the insurer gather information and negotiate liability. This leave victims unable to get the treatment they need, or left medical practitioners unable to recover their fees. As a remedy, no fault coverage was introduced to provide basic medical coverage for people insured in car accidents no matter who was at fault. Such car insurance cover ensures that there is at least some coverage available right away for drivers, passengers and pedestrians if struck by a vehicle.

Uninsured/Underinsured Driver Coverage
There are a few states where this coverage is required by law. It compensates the insured and their passengers in the event they are struck by a driver that is uninsured, underinsured or are victims of a hit and run driver.

There are a number of additional coverages that you can include  in your car insurance for teenagers policy such as -

Rental Car Insurance
To pay the policyholder’s cost of renting a vehicle if theirs is stolen or in a repair shop. This usually comes with a pre-determined amount of days and how much the auto insurance company will pay per day.

Medical Payments Coverage.
Adding medical payments coverage to a policy will help to pay some of the medical expenses resulting from an accident. There may include hospital bills and/or funeral expenses up to the limits of the policy.

Of course, you will have to evaluate and define your needs before deciding upon buying any type of car insurance for teenagers. Go through every option and make sure that you have a complete understanding of all the rules, regulations and conditions for every option so that you make the right decision.

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04th Nov 2009

Young Driver Insurance

Young driver insurance is more expensive because young drivers under the age of 25, particularly males, tend to make more claims than any other age group. It is because of their lack of driving experience that young drivers have more accidents than older motorists. More accidents mean more car insurance claims, more auto insurance claims means higher young driver insurance.

Young driver insurance rates can be brought down though by doing just a few important things.

One way to virtually guarantee getting a cheaper rate is to visit an auto insurance comparison site. There you will be able to compare quotes from many auto insurance companies side by side.

Go for a cheaper, smaller car. the expensive sports cars and SUV’s are costly to repair so the insurance rates will be high.

Auto insurance companies are always seeking to reduce their risks and having a vehicle with safety and anti-theft devices would certainly do that. So it follows that they would probably offer a discount when insuring them.

Another way to save on young driver insurance is to take an advanced driving course. Auto insurance companies see a successful completion of such a course as a guide to your driving ability and reward you accordingly.

Another possibility is, if the parents agree, to have the young driver as a named driver on their existing auto insurance policy. The downside is that this would increase their premium, but the increase may be less than the cost of a completely new policy in the young driver’s name.

If you can pay your premium annually, you would avoid expensive monthly transaction charges. Just another way to save on young driver insurance.

If you are a student and consistently get good grades then you would be considered by the insurance provider to be a more responsible driver and most of them would offer a discount for this.

Young driver insurance need not be expensive. Just carry out some research and follow the tips given above. But remember that the most important thing is to get adequate coverage. Don’t mislead your insurance provider just to get lower quotes, because if you do, any claim you make will probably be rejected and you would have to pay everything out of your own pocket.

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