Parents, schools and community advocates observe National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW) every year during the third week of October in the United States. Want to get involved? When you insure a teen driver with Farm Bureau Member’s Choice, you play an important role in developing safe, skilled teen drivers during NTDSW and throughout the year. Here’s what we mean.
The Problem: Teenage Driving Statistics
Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of death for teens in the U.S. Teen drivers 16 to 19 years old are nearly three times as likely as drivers ages 20 or older to be in a fatal crash. Fortunately, teen motor crashes are a largely preventable problem, and Farm Bureau agents have the opportunity to be a part of the solution from the moment a teen driver first grips the steering wheel.
The Solution: Creating Safe Drivers
Despite these startling teenage car accident statistics, many parents of teenage children have not yet talked to their teens about the key components of safe driving. When you become an insurance agent, you have the opportunity to help. When client/members come to you to add a teen to an auto policy, you have a chance to remind parents to talk to their teens about vehicle safety, answer their questions and keep costs down — all while helping to shape a responsible attitude about teenage driving in your community. Here’s what Farm Bureau insurance agents do every day to improve teen driver safety in their communities.
1. Start the Conversation
As a Farm Bureau agent, you know that effective parent-teen communication is critical to helping teens recognize and choose safe driving behaviors. It’s the reason you serve as an ongoing resource for parents on safe teen driving practices, offering proven strategies to improve the safety of young drivers on the road, such as:
- Cover the basics: Before handing over the keys, your client/members should talk to their teen about car safety, including wearing a seat belt, always driving sober, following traffic laws and avoiding distractions such as cell phones.
- Lead by example: Young teens spend a lot of time in the car with their parents, so remind client/members to model smart driving behaviors.
- Talk about the risks: Most parents talk to their teens about the risks of drinking and driving — but what about texting, talking on the phone, eating food on the road and having passengers in the car? Help your client/members understand the dangers so that they can communicate them to their teens.
2. Answering Questions
Parents have enough to worry about when their teenagers are learning how to drive; getting a teen auto insurance policy shouldn’t be one of them. Your role is to help answer your client/members questions so that they can focus more energy on the important things, like getting their license. Here are some common questions parents ask about teen coverage.
When should teens get car insurance?
In most states, teens driving with a permit with adult supervision in the vehicle are automatically covered by their parent’s auto insurance. Teen drivers need their own car insurance when they acquire their license or permit and are legally allowed to operate a vehicle on their own.
Why do teen drivers typically have higher insurance rates?
Teen drivers do not have as much driving experience as adults, nor do they have fully developed judgment skills. For these reasons, adding a teen driver to a policy often results in increased premiums. You’ll be there to show them ways to offset some of that cost through Farm Bureau’s teen auto insurance discounts.
3. Keeping Costs Down
Safety is the No. 1 concern of a parent preparing a teen to drive safely, but keeping costs down is a priority, too. Fortunately, there are several ways you can help your client/member save when they add a teen to an existing Farm Bureau policy:
- Remind your client/member that Farm Bureau rewards good grades. Students who maintain a “B” average or higher may qualify to save on car insurance.
- Tell them about the Driven to Safety Discount. Parents who spend 30 hours of supervised driving with their teens will qualify for a special discount.
- Encourage them to learn more about how completion of Farm Bureau’s Driveology program can help drivers less than 25 years of age earn discounts.
Make a Difference
Farm Bureau agents make a difference in the safety of their communities, and so can you. Contact us to learn more about what it means to be a Farm Bureau insurance agent.