Driving a car or other vehicle is one of the most important and integral things to learn for adulthood. The opportunity to get a learner’s permit for a future license is available as soon as 15 years and six months, so naturally teens will want to get on the road as soon as possible. However, with owning a car, the insurance rates on the vehicle are costly—and especially if you are a teen driving for the first time. Rates for a teenager are shown to be around four times more than someone who may be in their thirties.
This raises questions about why this is the case in the first place. Why does this really happen? Are there reasonable justifications?
One reason that many insurance companies use to justify this system is simply the fact that, statistically, teen drivers make riskier decisions compared to older, more experienced drivers: things such as speeding, traffic violations, and driving under the influence cause motor vehicle crashes to be higher among ages 16-19 than any other age group. Additionally, companies have these prices in place due to the fact that it’s proven that teens are also more distracted drivers, typically using cell phones behind the wheel.
Furthermore, it can also be noted how there are more disparities in the teenage demographic overall. For example, it is proven that insurance rates for teenage boys are higher than that of girls. Data shows that this might be simply because teenage boys tend to drive more recklessly,
which includes things like speeding. Although this can be considered a broad generalization, numbers don’t lie, and statistics show that boys are also 10% more likely to not wear a seat belt when driving as well.
To obtain more information, Ms. Kitchen, a driver’s education teacher at Patriot High School, shares her insight. When asked about why exactly teen driver insurance rates are so much higher, she responded: “… Insurance rates on a car [for teens] is more expensive than adults because teenagers are new drivers and are learning new skills and are at a higher risk for getting in accidents. Whether it’s a big accident or just a fender bender… they’re learning how to back up and apply all the things that they’ve just been learning in driver’s education and behind the wheel.”
While this can be frustrating at first, Ms. Kitchen also offered some advice for teens who may be seeking to prepare for the costs: “Plan ahead. Make sure that you and your parents know what the increase is going to be and set aside money for that. Now, is it unfortunate? Yes. Does it stink financially? Sure. However, it’s one of those responsibilities in life and you may have to make sacrifices to be able to pay for higher car insurance, so plan accordingly.”
Overall, it’s integral to remember that while the fees for maintaining and owning a car may seem annoying at first, it’s important to make sure that everyone is safe on the road for the well-being of yourself and those around you.
