Reader question:
Why should I add my teen’s name to my auto insurance policy?
Martha
There are plenty of reasons.
Besides possibly getting your policy voided for misrepresentation, there’s the consideration that teens, being new drivers and just more inclined to reckles behavior in general, are more likely to get in a car accident and thus more likely to need insurance. It’s one thing to expect your 16 year old to make a full stop at every sign and always use his turn signal, but in reality he’ll probably have the windows down and the music up and hey those are some pretty red signs coming up ahead–oops!
The National Highway Safety Administration has some grave statistics concerning young drivers, and while it’s depressing to dwell on them, every parent should take them in mind before sending their newly licensed teen out on the road, especially without proper car insurance coverage.
According tothe NHSA, almost 6,000 teen drivers lost their lives in 2004 due to traffic accidents. Out of all drivers who die in situations involving motor vehicles, teens make up 28%.
Considering that it’s much more likely to get injured in an accident than die in one, multiply from those numbers the amount of teens who hurt themselves in crashes each year, or the amount that wreck their parents car but come away unscathed, or the amount that get into a minor fender bender. The obvious truth is that teens need insurance, because they’re much more likely to use it, and it’s necessary in order to protect them.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.