Teen Driving and Columbus Car Insurance

New Georgia driving laws are doing more to protect teen drivers and Columbus car insurance is there just in case it isn’t enough.

Being able to drive for the first time is exciting, just make sure that you have enough Columbus car insurance for the not so exciting times.

“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death of 15 to 20-year olds. In 2005, 136 Young Drivers (Ages 15-20) were killed and an additional 193 others killed as a result of a crash involving a driver (Ages 15-20) in Georgia. In 2008, 3,500 15- to 20-year old drivers were killed and an additional 350,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes nationally.” (Georgia Department of Driver Services)

Being the parent of a new teen driver is stressful enough without knowing the above statistics. But, parents can rest a little easier knowing that the State of Georgia is trying to do their part in helping to decrease the number of teens that are in both fatal and non-fatal accidents.

Teen Driving Learning Requirement’s

Under Joshua’s Law, if a driver is 16 and wants their driver’s license they have to:

• Complete Driver’s Ed
• Complete a total of 40 hours of supervised driving
• Complete at least 6 hours of supervised night driving as part of the 40 total hours

Going to School is Mandatory

For all teens that are under 18, school attendance is mandatory if they want their driver’s license. In fact, it is required that you have good school attendance for the entire academic year before you are even allowed to apply for a driver’s permit or a license.

To be able to get and keep your license, while under 18, you cannot:

1. Drop out of school for more than 10 consecutive days
2. Have ten or more unexcused absences

Teenage & Adult Driver Responsibility Act

The Teenage & Adult Driver Responsibility Act is basically a graduated driver’s license. It has 3 steps that allow the teen driver to be able to learn how to drive at a safe and slower pace, with each step granted more and more driving freedom.

For the exact details of each step and what is required of the new driver at each level, visit http://www.dds.ga.gov/teens/index.aspx.

Columbus Car Insurance

Normally a teen driver who has a permit is not required to be listed on the family Columbus car insurance policy. However, it is always best to check with your car insurance agent for your insurance company’s requirements.

With a teen driver, it is also best to have more than the minimum insurance requirements of 25/50/25 that Georgia requires all insurance policies to have. Again, talk to your Columbus car insurance agent about what coverages you need to protect yourself and the new young driver in the house.