Teen drivers spiking your auto insurance? Read this!

By: Blake Wimsey
Special to Guthrie News Page

Blake Wimsey operates Foundation Insurance in downtown Guthrie.

Did your teenager recently start driving? Ouch! Auto insurance rates are higher than ever for teenage drivers, due to increased distracted driving crashes and vehicles being more expensive to repair than ever before.

Here are a couple tips to help you save a buck on Johnny and Jane’s insurance this summer.

1. Get quotes on the vehicle BEFORE you buy it.

All vehicles are given different insurance scores by underwriting. Buying a “safer” vehicle or one that is less expensive to repair could cut your costs by quite a bit!

2. Shop around.

The company that has been giving you a good rate for the last 5 years is not necessarily the same one that will be kind to you when you add a 16 year old with a speeding ticket. Sometimes shopping around before your kid turns 16 can help you lock in a preferred policy, which might lessen the blow of adding a teen driver in a couple months. If you have a 14 or 15 year old, you might consider shopping around now!

3. Take advantage of every possible discount.

What if the grocery store clerk offered you $20 worth of discounts when you checked out? Would you tell them you’d rather only take $5? Some of the discounts available to teenage drivers include good student, safe driver, and telematics devices. Why only take advantage of part of them?

More than likely, your kids will be on your auto policy for 4-6 years. Taking advantage of every discount offered to you could turn out to be quite a nice graduation gift… or you know, a deposit for them to move out and get their own place eventually.