Here’s a recipe for danger:

Mix a good measure of biology with lack of experience. Add a dash of peer pressure. Teen drivers are at great risk on our roads. Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds.

The sad news is that the crash rate for young drivers is three times greater than for older drivers. No wonder — I was shocked to learn that teens in one survey defined “speeding” as about 90 mph. Inexperience makes young drivers less able to recognize and respond to dangerous situations, and they are more likely to engage in risky practices, such as speeding and drunken driving, than older drivers. The crash rate for teens rises when they drive at night and when friends ride along. And don’t forget the latest crash-related distraction — cell phones.

Here’s what you, Farmers and I can do to help your teen stay safe during the first years of driving:

• Save lives and money with the Farmers Y.E.S. (You’re Essential to Safety) program. This informative program helps young drivers see what it means to make good and bad driving decisions. Have your teen go to www.farmers.com, click Teen Driver Education and Discounts and view the Y.E.S. WRECKED video online(or they can also view it right here on my website). Then call me and I’ll give you a questionnaire for your teen to complete as part of the Y.E.S. program. This may offer another advantage — a discount on Auto insurance — but you need to contact me to see if you qualify for it and other discounts, such as the Good Student discount. 
• ‘Graduate’ them  to full driving privileges. You watched your children around swimming pools when they were young. The roads are also dangerous, so exercise the same caution when they learn to drive. Institute and enforce a graduated driving program for your teen. For example, when your teen first gets behind the wheel, don’t allow driving without an adult in the car. Restrict driving to daylight hours. Don’t allow driving with friends. As your teen gains experience, you can gradually ease these restrictions.

Lets talk soon about protecting your  young driver and exploring ways to reduce your Auto coverage cost.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 10th, 2006 at 9:32 pm and is filed under Uncategorized, Insurance, Auto, Teen Driving. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.