Teen boy drivers have notoriously higher insurance rates, due to their aggressive and risky driving behavior...and the crash rates to prove it. But the gap in risky behavior between teen boys and girls seems to be closing according to a recent report from The Allstate Foundation.In the study, girls admit to speeding, texting, and acting aggressively behind the wheel more than boys. But the survey statistics haven't translated into crash statistics. But if the trend continues, it could result in higher premiums for girls.
"Experience still shows female drivers are safer than boys at this age," Allstate spokesman Raleigh Floyd said. "Until those figures change, our rating isn't going to change."
But even so, the rates have grown a little. Twenty years ago, it cost an average of 50% more to insure a young male than young female. These days it's about 20% to 30% more. "There is still a gap, but it's getting smaller all the time," said Thomas DeFalco, an actuary at the New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co.
And Sam Belden, vice president at Insurance.com, said data compiled through the online agency show that premiums for 16-year-old girl drivers have risen about $500 over the last two years, while those for boys in the same age group have been roughly flat.
Most chalk it up to distractions. DVD players, MP3 players, friends in the car...and maybe it boils down to plain boredom. Everyone is in such a hurry.
Kristen Marzano, 17, has had her license for about five months and admitted that sometimes she puts on her makeup or fixes her hair in the car or plays with her MP3 player.
"It's mostly I wait until the last minute to do everything," she said. "If I'm going to drive, I'm running out the door, dropping things. I guess it's just being disorganized."
Check out the statistics from the study below...parents and teens alike, are you one of the numbers?
Thank you to Chicago Tribune
