Teens ages 16-19 account for over 12% of car accidents a year though teens are about 10% of the US population.  The scarier statistics include a fatality rate of 5,000 teens a year and 400,000 teens a year being seriously injured.   Due to these facts, car insurance costs are significantly more expensive for teen drivers and driving school is significantly more important for your teen.

Alcohol and reckless driving have always been an issue for teens but in modern day, we have other factors involved.  Teens growing up nowadays have technology ingrained in their systems.  Though drivers’ education courses cover the use of cell phones while driving, it is important that parents go over the risks with their teens as well.   13% percent of accidents caused by teens are due to cell phone use while driving.

Not all states require drivers’ education but all states have the option available and taking a course can significantly lower the cost of insurance for teens.  There are also options for a second, more in depth drivers’ education course that can lower costs even further.

If you are planning to purchase a car for your teen, getting them a pricey, high-end model, is not the best option due to higher insurance rates as well as the statistics for teen drivers.  As we said, teens are more likely to get in an accident and a higher end model will cost more money to fix.  It is best to go with a cheaper, reliable car to reduce insurance costs.

Another great way to lower insurance costs for your teen driver (though they might not be thrilled with this option), is to hold off on buying them a car until they prove their driving abilities to the insurance company.  Adding your teen to your existing policy on a car that you own as an occasional driver will lower their car insurance costs as well as proving to the insurance company they are a good driver by avoiding accidents.

An excellent program that many insurance companies have in place allows for lower car insurance rates for teens that get good grades in school.  Perhaps they believe that with good grades come more responsible teens.  Most insurance companies that instate this program require your teen to have a B average but some further the discount the higher the grades.  Speak with your insurance provider to find out what they offer for this program.

Driving is a big responsibility for teens and though it’s convenient for parents to have their teens driving themselves around, it is still risky.  We constantly hear of states trying to up the legal driving age.  Earlier, we discussed some of the reason teen insurance is higher and some distractions keeping it at a high rate.  For parents, it’s important to familiarize yourself with all the risks teens deal with in driving.  Let’s discuss some issues that specifically affect teen drivers.

The first issue is speeding.  Teens are more likely to speed than experienced drivers because at a young age, they feel invincible.  Adhering to the speed limit is especially important since teens aren’t used to being on the road.  In fact, you might advise that, in your teen’s first few months of driving, they stay 10 mph under the speed limit.  Speeding accounts for more than 40% of car related deaths for teens.  This is a scary statistic and certainly an issue they are schooled on in driver’s ed.  It’s important that this issue also be discussed between the teen and the parent.

We touched on the danger of using technology while driving but this is another issue important to reiterate with your teen.  With the use of cell phones and advanced technology, there are a million ways your teen can get distracted while driving.  You need to be firm with the fact that anything they might be doing on their phone while driving is not okay.  This includes talking, texting, changing music, Facebooking, Instagramming, and the like.  Even the time spent searching for a contact and pressing send can cause up to 5 seconds of your teen not focusing on the road.  It is best to suggest they don’t listen to music for their first few months of driving but if they will be listening, have them choose the music before they set off on the road.

Teens will naturally want to drive their friends around when they first get their license, but this can actually double the risk of a collision.  A teen passenger accounts for another distraction, as well as the possibility your teen will try to show off in front of them.  This might mean increased speeds, tailgating a car in front of them, or dancing along to the radio—all creating further risks for your teen.

One factor some might not take in to consideration is exhaustion.  Teens have to rise early for school but often stay up late doing homework which can lead to your teen being very tired.  Did you know a tired driver could prove to be as dangerous or more dangerous than a drunk driver?  When you are tired your reaction time is reduced significantly and your awareness is not strong.  Talk to your teen about being aware of their body and allowing someone else to drive if they are feeling too tired.

Another issue seen often with teen drivers is risk taking and statistics show this issue to be more common with male drivers than female.  Young drivers are more likely to take risks such as switching lanes quickly to get in front of a slow driver, tailgating or keeping an unsafe distance with the car in front of them if it is moving to slow, or even driving under the influence though they know it is wrong.  Talk to your teen about the importance of obeying the law and stopping at a yellow light rather than taking a risk and speeding through it.

Though your teen staying safe is the most important thing, the benefit of lower car insurance is a perk of a good teen driver.  We have gone over important tips to keep your teen safe on the road, avoiding accidents, and lowering the cost of auto insurance.  Don’t assume everything has been talked about in driver’s education courses.  Be certain it has been spoken about because you have spoken to your teen about safety.

Arlington Car insurance protects you from both good drivers and drivers they have to create special laws for.

Yes, this is a bad idea and is illegal; just like driving without Arlington car insurance.

None of us can say that we are completely on top of our mental game all day. We all have days that we drop the ball as far as common sense is concerned. But, it takes a special kind of lapse in common sense that only certain people are capable of that causes the city to have to create a special law banning the activity that took place during a particular lapse.

Interesting Traffic Laws that Will Affect Your Arlington Car Insurance

There are just some traffic laws that make your shake your head and wonder where they came from. Sadly, these laws are usually created because someone did something stupid and they had to create a stupid law to point out that it was stupid enough to have to make it illegal.

These same laws will also not only get you a traffic ticket if you also try them, but they will also increase your Arlington car insurance rates. So please don’t follow in the footsteps of the ones that were the reason that these laws were created.

Straight from Arlington’s Code of Ordinances (because you won’t believe me without showing you exactly what the law says):

Section 2.01 Holding to Moving Vehicle -No person riding a motorcycle shall take hold of any other vehicle for the purpose of holding onto and being carried along by said other vehicle, nor shall the driver of said other vehicle permit the same. (I can understand a skateboard, but a motorcycle?)

Section 2.06 Unlawful Riding –

1. No person shall ride upon any portion of a vehicle not designed or intended for the transportation of passengers while such vehicle is being operated upon a public street or public or private property.

2. No person shall stand in or upon a vehicle while such vehicle is being operated upon a public street or public or private property.

(One of the exceptions to the Unlawful Riding law above is if you are in a parade it is okay to break that rule. So if you get caught unlawfully riding by a cop can’t you claim that you are just practicing for the next parade? Don’t actually do this, it was just a thought.)

Section 2.09 Freeway Regulation – No vehicle, except of the State registered, motor propelled type, shall be driven upon any freeway in the City. The use of any freeway by pedestrians, bicyclists or equestrians is hereby prohibited. This prohibition shall apply to the shoulder and median strips of freeways, as well as to the pavement surfaces thereof. (Just in case you didn’t realize that you can’t ride your horse on the freeway).

Arlington Car Insurance Laws

As silly as the laws or details within the laws above seem they are there for your protection, just like the required Arlington car insurance you have to have to be able to drive anywhere in the State of Texas. So while you are trying to keep the laws above in mind, don’t forget that you also need at least the following coverages on your car insurance policy:

$25,000 for damaging another person’s property

$30,000 for any injury you cause to a single person in an accident

$60,000 per accident if you cause multiple injuries

If you drive without this required Arlington car insurance, you are being just as silly minded as the drivers you just shake your head at in amazement when they do something dumb on the roads.

Getting pulled over for a traffic violation doesn’t automatically mean an increase in your Wichita car insurance.

Even if you get a traffic citation, there is still a glimmer of hope for your Wichita car insurance.

We all make mistakes every now and then that end up costing us more money on our Wichita car insurance. Sometimes we drive a little too fast and sometimes we aren’t paying attention and run a red light. In most cases though, we catch ourselves and correct our mistake before a cop notices. Unfortunately, there are also the other times we aren’t so lucky.

Thankfully, there are programs like Wichita’s Traffic Diversion Program where you have a chance to prevent a driving mistake from affecting your car insurance premiums.

Wichita Traffic Diversion Program

For most traffic violations, you can possibly get them dismissed through the Traffic Diversion Program, and they will never show up on your driving record. If they aren’t on your driving record then your Wichita car insurance company can’t use them to increase your insurance premium.

Per the City of Wichita website, here are the criteria you have to meet to qualify for the Traffic Diversion Program:

1. You have NOT been convicted of a moving violation (or had an amendment from a moving to a non-moving violation) in this or any other state or municipality, or have NOT previously participated in a Diversion for a moving violation within the last twelve months.
2. Citations for Speeding will ONLY be accepted for Diversion if the ticket is not more than 25 MPH over the posted speed limit.
3. Citations for Speeding in School and Construction Zones will ONLY be accepted for Diversion if the ticket is NOT more than 15 MPH over the posted speed limit.
4. You HAVE a valid driver’s license; those with a Commercial Driver’s License are not eligible for Diversion.
5. You HAVE current liability insurance.
6. Your citation did NOT result in or arise out of an accident.
7. The following citations are NOT ELIGIBLE for diversion: Driving While Suspended, No proof of Insurance, Hit and Run, Failure to Report an Accident, Failure to Yield to Emergency Equipment, Exhibition of Speed or Reckless Driving.
8. You MUST apply for Diversion within thirty (30) days after the issuance of your citation and pay the $25.00 non-refundable application fee and answer completely all questions on the application. Failure to do so will result in denial of your application or delay in the court date.

Current Wichita Car Insurance

One of the above stipulations for the Traffic Diversion Program is that you have current liability insurance. This current liability insurance is a policy with the following coverages on it:

• $25,000 in bodily injury liability coverage for one person
• $50,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per accident
• $10,000 in property damage liability coverage
• $25,000 (per person) in uninsured/underinsured coverage that pays for your medical expenses if you are hit by a driver that has no insurance or not enough insurance
• $50,000 (per accident) in uninsured/underinsured coverage that pays for your medical expenses if you are hit by a driver that has no insurance or not enough insurance
• Personal injury protection coverage that pays for your medical expenses

As you can see the Wichita car insurance requirements are actually a whole lot more than just liability insurance, but make sure you have the coverage in place so you can take advantage of the Traffic Diversion Program if you need to.

Increases in Cleveland car insurance protect you from financial trouble, increasing your speed over the limit while driving does not.

While vintage things are cool, outdated Cleveland car insurance limits are not.

No one likes paying for Cleveland car insurance; they feel like they are paying for nothing because they rarely, if ever, use it. But it is a state law that you have it so that you are protected financially from other people accidentally hitting you or you accidentally hitting other people. And if you want to keep the price of your insurance as low as possible, don’t do silly things like driving over the speed limit.

Speeding Will Hurt Your Cleveland Car Insurance

To keep you from getting a speeding ticket in Cleveland, here are the basic limits for the State of Ohio per the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration:

• 65 MPH1, established prior to October 1, 1995, on certain interstate state freeways
• 55 MPH for vehicles weighing >8,000 lbs. empty weight and noncommercial busses on interstate and State freeways
• 55 MPH on other freeways inside and outside of municipal corporations
• 55 MPH on highways outside of municipal corporations, except certain freeways
• 50 MPH on controlled-access highways and expressways within municipal corporations
• 50 MPH on State routes within municipal corporations outside urban districts
• 35 MPH on State routes and through highways
• 25 MPH on municipal corporation streets
• 20 MPH in school zones during recess or when children are going to or leaving school
• 15 MPH on alleys within a municipal corporation

A speeding ticket is just one of the traffic citations that will increase the premium of your Cleveland car insurance. Too many of these speeding tickets and you will find yourself no longer qualified for car insurance in what is called the “standard Market”. The standard market is where the bulk of drivers are placed for car insurance.

If you no longer qualify for the standard market, you get moved to the “non-standard market”. When you are moved to this market you have become such a bad driver that no one wants to provide you with car insurance because you have too high of a chance of getting in to a car accident.

Non-standard market insurance has premiums that are extremely high so that the insurance company can prepare for the likely event that you will have a car accident that they have to pay for. Some of these premiums can get so high that you could purchase a nice used vehicle every 6 months with how much you will be paying in insurance.

Cleveland Car Insurance is Required

If you find yourself in the non-standard market because you have had too many speeding tickets, you have one of two choices; stop driving or pay the higher premiums. Going without insurance in Cleveland is not an option, especially for someone with a bad driving record.

The State of Ohio determines the minimum amount of insurance that you have to carry as a driver, and these minimum insurance requirements are enforced by all government entities, including the City of Cleveland. To make sure that you stay out of more trouble with the authorities, make sure you have at least the following Cleveland car insurance coverages.

Before 12/22/13:

• $12,500 in bodily injury liability coverage per person
• $25,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per accident
• $7,500 in property damage liability coverage

On 12/22/13 or after:

• $25,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person
• $50,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per accident
• $25,000 in property damage liability coverage

As you can see the State of Ohio is trying to stay on top of rising medical and auto repair costs by increasing the amount of car insurance needed. This is not focused on increasing the amount you have to pay for Cleveland car insurance, but to make sure that you have enough coverage to really protect you.

Breaking a parking rule won’t necessarily break your Minneapolis car insurance budget.

Driving is made easy when you follow the parking rules and carry the right Minneapolis car insurance coverage.

Parking is a necessary evil if you want to park in downtown. And even if you think you have followed every parking rule they have there, you may still end up with a parking ticket.

But don’t fear, because the fine for the parking ticket is the only extra money you will have to pay out. Your Minneapolis car insurance company doesn’t look at parking tickets as a reason to increase your insurance premium.

Minneapolis Parking Advice

The City of Minneapolis was kind enough to put together the following list for those that park downtown on how to avoid getting a parking ticket. The list was so perfect the way it was that I just had to share straight from the http://www.minneapolismn.gov website:

1. Watch for permanent and temporary signs
2. Read parking meters
3. Stay away from corners of intersections
4. Leave bus stops for buses
5. Park safely at schools
6. Use off-street parking
7. Know the difference between “No Parking” and “No Stopping”
8. Respect residential parking restrictions
9. Pay special attention to signage and parking meters in the Warehouse District
10. Know the Snow Emergency Rules

For the details on each ways to avoid a ticket, visit the cities website.

Parking Tickets Don’t Affect Minneapolis Car Insurance Rates

If you get ticketed for any of the above parking violations, you can rest easy that the ticket will not affect your Minneapolis car insurance rates. If you get enough of them, you will definitely have some issues with law enforcement, but not your insurance company.

However, at-fault car accidents and other moving violations (speeding tickets, reckless driving, etc.) will definitely help increase your car insurance rates.

The Bare Minimum Minneapolis Car Insurance

If you are looking to save some money on your car insurance because you have received too many parking tickets, or your insurance rates are too high because of the multiple traffic violations you have been ticketed for, there is a way to decrease your insurance cost. Instead of carrying the coverage that you need to protect your vehicle if it gets damaged, all you really need to be able to drive is the minimum Minneapolis insurance coverage that is required.

While we don’t recommend driving with just the minimum requirements, to save money you really only have to carry the following to be able to legally drive:

• Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
• Bodily Injury Liability Coverage (BI)
• Property Damage Liability Coverage (PD)
• Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM)
• Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM)

The PIP, UIM, and UM coverages are all required to protect you and your vehicle. The PIP coverage pays for medical expenses and the UM/UIM coverages pay for damages to your vehicle if the person that is at fault for the accident doesn’t have enough insurance or doesn’t have any insurance at all.

The BI and PD coverages are both liability coverages that pay for the damage you cause to another person or their property.

Again, we don’t recommend that you drive around with just the required Minneapolis car insurance coverage because they don’t offer the full protection you need, but we also understand that sometimes you have to cut corners somewhere.