Along with the teenage years will come all different forms of milestones and new concerns for your growing-up child. For most parents, these years will mean that their child will be learning to drive, getting a learner's permit, and eventually getting their license. During this time, it is crucial that you don't let some common misconceptions about new teen drivers get you in trouble with your insurance company.
Misconception: It's okay to let your teen driver behind the wheel before they get their permit.
Fact: Many parents do indeed let their younger teen try driving a few times before they ever get their permit or driver's license. While this may be okay on your own private property where there is no risk of an accident, this is never a god thing to do on the road. If your teen is involved in an accident, not only will the damages incurred not be covered, you could be at risk of losing your car insurance policy as well.
Misconception: If your teen driver has an accident, it is better to just cover the costs yourself and avoid telling the insurance company.
Fact: It is quite common for newly licensed teen drivers to have fender benders and wrecks when they first start out as a driver. Because these incidents can make your teen a little bit more of a risk to cover, some insurers will raise the rates after an accident because of this. You may be tempted to try to cover the costs of the accident on your own instead of turning in the accident. However, this accident will still come up as part of the driver's history, which means the insurance company will eventually find out and adjust the coverage rates because of it.
Misconception:You don't have to let the insurance company know when your child gets their learner's permit.
Fact: Many insurance companies do not come straight out and ask if you have a teen driver in the house with a learner's permit. Therefore, you may be tempted to just leave this bit of information off of your policy to save a little money. Even though the question may not always be asked, this is information that the insurance company needs to know. If your teen driver who has a permit lives in your home and drives your vehicle, they must be included in your policy. If the insurance company discovers that you have a teen driver operating your vehicles, they could cancel your policy.
Talk with your auto insurance company right away for more information about your teen driver.
Share22 May 2017
When I lost my job, I also lost my health insurance. I've never had to buy health insurance on my own before, so when I went to my insurance agent, I had no idea where to start. The coverage options, deductibles, co-pays, and premiums were confusing. I wasn't sure how to make sense of all of the tiers and doctor's networks. I created this site to help others who've never purchased health insurance before. The posts here are full of resources for insurance coverage, and I hope that it will help you to find the policy that's right for you.
