Teen Drivers Graduated Drivers License Laws, Go National

Nationwide Insurance Supports Senator’s Push for STANDUP Act to Promote Teen Driver Safety



Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company today stated its support for the STANDUP Act which, if passed, would establish minimum requirements for state Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) laws that emphasize teen driver safety : by gradually introducing new teen drivers to the responsibility and skills involved in operating a motor vehicle.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today introduced the The Safe


Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act, which establishes minimum requirements for state GDL laws, promotes action with incentive grant funds, and imposes a sanction on states who fail to meet those requirements after three years.

Auto accidents are one of the leading causes of death among American teenagers. Since 1999, more than 80,000 people in the United States were killed in crashes involving teen drivers. Nationwide believes that to reduce teen crashes and fatalities we need stronger GDL laws, better public awareness of teen driving issues, and greater involvement of parents in teaching and coaching new teen drivers and using teen safe driving tips : .

In conjunction with the National Safety Council, Nationwide sponsored a national symposium on GDLs where research was released clearly showing the number of teen driver-related-crashes were reduced in states with strong GDL laws.

“Unfortunately, GDL laws vary widely by state and there are no states today that have all the model GDL components that research shows reduces teen crashes and fatalities,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide’s Consumer Safety Officer. “We believe the STANDUP Act will not only help to prevent teen crashes and reduce crash-related injuries, but more importantly, save lives.”

As a member of the Saferoads4teens Coalition, an alliance representing consumer, health, safety, insurance, and medical organizations, Nationwide supports GDL laws as an integral part of the solution.

“Nationwide believes all of us need to do a better job of raising awareness of the issue so that parents get more involved in teaching and coaching new teen drivers,” Windsor added.

Study: Metropolitan Cities With Highest Teen Crash Rates

A study by Allstate Insurance Company in May 08 found the following cities to have the highest crash rates for teens:

• Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla.
  
• Orlando/Kissimmee, Fla.
  
• Jacksonville, Fla.
  
• Nashville, Tenn.
  
• Birmingham, Ala.
  
• Phoenix, Ariz.
  
• Kansas City, Mo. (and Kan.)
  
• Atlanta, Ga.
  
• Charlotte, N.C.
  
• Louisville, Ky.

The study also found the cities with the lowest teen driver fatality rates were:

• San Francisco/Oakland, Calif.
  
• San Jose, Calif.
  
• New York City (including Long Island and northern New Jersey)
  
• Los Angeles, Calif.
  
• Cleveland, Ohio
  
• Milwaukee, Wisc.
  
• Boston, Mass.
  
• Portland, Ore.
  
• Salt Lake City, Utah
  
• Chicago, Ill.

George Ruebenson, president of Allstate Protection adds:

"The study shouldn't just concern parents and leaders in the nation’s deadliest hotspots – car crashes claim the lives of more American teens than anything else coast-to-coast. Although some cities post better scores than others, the whole country must take responsibility for addressing this crisis. We feel that state and federal leaders should enact uniform national standards for graduated drivers licensing laws. Further, we must have better conversations with teens about safe driving and set good examples through our own good driving behavior."

Their findings kicked off a campaign to unify Graduated Licensing Laws which currently differ state to state. You can read the full article by clicking here.

Q & A

A few frequently asked questions for parents of teen drivers like you...and maybe a couple you hadn't thought about! If you have additional questions, we'd be happy to answer them! Please e-mail us at info@sav-on.com or call one of our 6 locations at 1-888-867-2866.


What should parents consider when insuring teen drivers?

Parents should consider 3 factors when insuring their teen driver. First, they need to do everything they can to prevent their teen from causing an accident. Lack of education and experience are the leading factors in teen driver accidents. Parents need to give their teen as much training and experience behind the wheel as possible to keep them safe and avoid costly tickets and accidents. Second, parents need to make sure they are protected in case their teen causes an accident. Teens are 5 times more likely to cause an accident that can result in a lawsuit than experienced drivers. Good insurance coverage is a must for parents with teen drivers.
Third, parents need an agent that understands how to protect families with teen drivers and how to help them get the right protection at the lowest cost. This agent can find ways to save money while offering coverage that can protect them from lawsuits.

Why are insurance rates high for teen drivers?

Teen drivers are five times more likely to cause accidents than experienced drivers. The cost of these claims are on average 3 times higher as well. Insurance companies know this and have to charge higher rates to cover the higher risk of costly and more frequent accidents.

How can parents reduce the cost of insuring their teen driver?

First, parents need to understand that the rates are highest during the first three years they are licensed and if their teen gets a ticket or causes accidents their rates can triple. If parents do everything they can to make sure their teen drives safely, they will save a small fortune in rate increases due to tickets and accidents. If they have an agent that specializes in protecting families with teen drivers, that agent most likely knows what companies offer the lowest rates and can help them save by increasing deductibles and finding every discount possible, i.e. like a discount for good grades.

What should parents do to make sure they are protected in case their teen causes an accident?

When a parent adds a teen driver to their insurance policy, the chances of them being involved in a lawsuit increases dramatically. Insurance companies will only pay what their liability limit is on their policy. If the accident is serious enough, the parent’s assets are at risk. They will have to pay the difference between the liability limit and the amount awarded by the lawsuit. This is the most critical time when they need an agent that specializes in protecting families with teen drivers. This agent can review their coverage and offer the right liability limits to protect their assets.

How can parents reduce the likelihood of their teen causing an accident?

Education and experience is most important for safe driving. Unfortunately, new drivers are lacking this. It is up to the parent to give them as much structured practice time behind the wheel as needed to learn the most important driving skills and reactions. A home study driving course such as the Safe Teen Driver Guide is an excellent way to give the teen the necessary education and experience. Parents should also consider a GPS Teen Driver Monitoring System to make sure that their teen continues to drive safely while the parent is not in the car.

Many parents consider placing the teen on a separate policy. Is this a good idea?

No, this is not a good idea. As long as the teen is dependent on the parents, (they live in the household or the parent owns the car, even if the child is away at school ), they can be held liable for their teen’s mistakes. When you place a teen on a separate policy, it is very difficult to get adequate coverage for the teen because they are considered “high risk” and most high risk insurance companies will only provide lower limits than what teen drivers need. Since the teen cannot get adequate coverage, the parents can still be sued for their teen’s accidents. It also costs more to insure teens on separate policies. They are charged higher rates since they are insured by companies that insure higher risk drivers. When the teen is on their parents’ policy, they get multi-car discounts and are usually insured by preferred companies with lower rates.

What tools do you offer to parents to help them make their teens safer drivers?

Our agency offers many tools to help parents keep their teen drivers safe. First we have the Safe Teen Driver Guide. This is a 16 step home study driving course that parents can use to give their teens the education and most importantly, the experience they need to drive safely. We also offer a GPS Teen Driver Monitoring System. This system can alert parents when their teen drives at high speeds, after curfew or beyond a specified driving range. It can also allow parents to “check in” on their teen to make sure they are safe. Another tool we offer is the Parent/Teen driver contract to help teens get a clear understanding of the rules set forth to have the privilege to drive. Our website offers other tools such as 101 teen driver safety tips, information on how to get protected at the lowest cost, and much more. Coming soon, we will be offering a “How’s My Driving” bumper sticker and incident reporting service.

How does the GPS Teen Driver Monitoring System work?

This amazing system can give parents peace of mind knowing that their teen is driving safely. It has a small GPS unit that is installed under the dash in the teen driver’s car. This unit is connected to a website that parents can access to set parameters and view the car’s location, speed, and even unlock the car doors if the teen locks his or her keys in the car. Once parameters are set for speed limits, driving distance, and curfew, parents can receive alerts when a teen break these parameters. It can also let parents know by text message, e-mail, or phone call when their teen arrives at a destination, such as arriving at school every day.

National Teen Driver Safety Week is about Awareness

It's National Teen Driver Safety Week, and I feel that it couldn't come at a more appropriate time of the year. The weather is changing and many teens are just getting their license after their summer enrolled driver's education courses have ended...it's a scary and exciting time of year for young drivers and parents alike.

This week is to concentrate on teen driver safety. While we at SAV-ON always try, year round, to drive home the point that sometimes the worst can happen, many parents feel that they trust their teen driver. After all, it is their child. But many of you also know that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens. In 2005, 12 teens aged 16-19 died every day due to motor vehicle crashes.

The 16 to 19 year-old age group is 4 times more likely to crash than older drivers and statistics do show that they have the highest crash rate. Those especially at risk are

• male drivers; one and half times greater than females in 2005
  
• teens driving with teen passengers; the risk increases with each added teen passenger, especially males
  
• newly licensed teens; crash rates are are extremely high within the first year, especially within the first 6 months of new licensure.
  
  Teen drivers are more likely to underestimate the danger of a situation or recognize hazardous situations (ex. snow, rainfall, etc...). They are more likely to speed and tailgate; male passengers increase the chances of the driver partaking in these dangerous activities. Teens are also the least likely group to wear a seat belt.
  
  Although drinking and driving rates have dropped among young drivers, it still remains a problem that cannot be overlooked. Young drivers with any level of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) run a higher risk of crashing than older drivers. In 2005, 23% of drivers aged 15-20 who died in a motor vehicle crash had a BAC of .08 or higher.
  
  Male drivers between the ages of 15-20 are particularly at risk. In 2005 38% were speeding at the time of crash and 24% had been drinking.
  
  This week is not only to instill safety, but also to spread awareness of the dangers of inexperience, distraction, passengers, cell phone use, even drug and alcohol use. Use this time to talk to your teen...and take advantage of the many resources we have to offer at www.teendriverinsurance.com/sav-on.
  
  
  Thank you to CDC.gov and IIHS.org, and Happy National Teen Driver Safety Week!

National Teen Driver Safety Week Oct 19-25

Congressmen Charlie Dent (R-PA) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) passed a resolution establishing every third week in October to be National Teen Driver Safety Week this last year.

Many states have their own planned activities, many year-long, which focus on teen belt use, graduated licensing, and underage drinking. Washington is not on the list, although Sav-on Insurance personally does our part by speaking to young drivers at the A-Team Driving School. To see the complete list click here.

The theme for this years Safety Week is passengers with findings showing that the chances of a fatal crash increase exponentially with each teen passenger. Few teens view their friends as inexperienced drivers and teen passengers tend to act wild or encourage the driver to speed or make other unsafe driving decisions.

Please visit our safe teen driver page at www.teendriverinsurance.com/sav-on for more tips on making your teen a safe driver.

Distractions bigger threat than alcohol for teen drivers

Distractions: a huge factor in teen car accidents. Death: still the leading cause of death of ages 15-19.

Most teen accidents are one car accidents at night and are mostly due to inattention. You may even be surprised to know that alcohol is usually not involved. Passengers also play a large role in driver distraction. In fact, a male passenger almost doubles the death rate in both male and female drivers. A female passenger with a female driver? Somewhat higher, but no change in risk taking. Passengers are clearly a distraction.
Graduated licensing programs have been implemented in almost every U.S. state and have proven to be quite effective. The intermediate driver's license, which restricts night driving and the transport of passengers, has indicated a 60% drop in fatalities and disabling injuries in 16 and 17 year olds.

While the new licensing program may seem pesky-- it's important to follow. And it's also recommended that newly licensed drivers steer clear of other distractions such as cell phone use and loud music.