Smart Auto Insurance Blog

In many states teenagers can receive their drivers license at age 16 once they have passed a written test as well as a driving test.  At this point you will need to look into auto insurance for your new driver.  Many auto insurers such as Progressive and Acceptance Insurance offer policies to these young drivers, but rates may be higher and if you add the driver onto your existing policy you can expect to see your premium increase, in some cases relatively drastically.

You can see your auto insurance rates come down over the years with your teen on your policy by encouraging good grades which can earn discounts and demanding safe driving habits.  The Department of Motor Vehicles in various states offer teen driving education from everything like passing the written test to the importance of never drinking and driving.  There are online tools for your Internet savvy teen to browse articles and online quizzes to help educate your child on safety guidelines on the road.

Many auto insurance companies also offer online programs for teens.  USAA Auto Insurance explains to your student how to buy a car as well as how to handle distractions while driving.  State Farm has launched a unique campaign called “Not Now, I’m Driving” (NNID) which has teen-friendly YouTube videos and messages from famous actors sending the message about the importance of never texting while driving.  Allstate and Geico also have programs geared towards making your teen a safer driver which will hopefully save lives and as a nice perk, hopefully facilitate lower auto insurance rates for you over time.

It’s no surprise that using your phone while driving can cause accidents since your attention is taken away from the road.  But smartphones have added a new danger to the mix.  Smartphones are addicting and many Americans admit to using their phones to check email, update social sites, and read text messages despite this being against the law.

According to the article “Use Smartphones Smartly Can Help Avoid Car Accidents” by Richard Burton on AutoQuoteNow.com, 72% of people who use their phone while driving say work is what tempts them to break the law.  About 33% are drawn to social sites such as Facebook and Twitter while driving.

Fatal accidents have increased dramatically from drivers using their phones, despite laws being passed to ban such usage.  These handheld computers are a major distraction for many drivers and it takes self-discipline to wait until the drive is over to check the phone.  The good news is that awareness is on the rise and hopefully education will ultimately help to deter using smartphones while driving.

According to the article “Texting While Driving Ban: Texting While Driving Laws Do Not Reduce Accidents” found on khabrein.info/news, a recent study shows that the recent bans on texting has not effectively brought accidents down in California.

The research was conducted by Highway Loss Data Institute, which is a non-profit organization supported by the auto insurance industry.  The research shows that the rate of accidents before and after laws were enacted in California have not significantly changed.  The study also pointed out that accidents in CA haven’t shown any significant changed in comparison to Arizona and Nevada where there are no bans on texting while driving.

The Automobile Club of Southern California finds the research interesting but they do not plan on accepting the study, citing that the samples were not large enough and the study is inconclusive.  It’s still known that any distraction while driving will put you at a higher risk of being in an accident, whether it’s texting, changing the radio, or programming a GPS.

According to the press release “Federal Government Cracking Down on Texting While Driving” an Executive order put forth this year has banned all US government employees from texting on their cell phones while driving in government autos that are owned, leased or rented by the government.

Another part of this ban says these government employees cannot text in their own cars either if they are conducting company business or using company phones.  As of 2010, penalties are being placed on those breaking the rule.  This trend continues as over 21 states have laws banning texting while driving.  Most auto insurance companies, such as Dairyland Insurance, urge their policyholders not to text while driving.

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles reports that about 30,000 car accidents per year are because of distracted drivers.  About 100 people have been killed in these types of crashes and approximately 15,000 injured.  These staggering numbers are the reasons texting laws are being passed in many states and being encouraged by many auto insurance companies.

According to the article “How Does Cell Phone Use Affect A Cheap Car Insurance Quote?” by Sharon Gibson on youronlineinsurance.com, cell phone safety is a major concern for law enforcement.  More and more traffic incidents are caused by people talking and texting on their cell phones.  Cell phone usage is a huge distraction and directly affects your driving.

More and more auto insurance companies are offering discounts to drivers who are willing to drive safer.  You may get a discount for having a cell phone disabling system which is a device which blocks calls as well as text messages while you are operating the car.  Some companies will flat out ask you what your driving habits are in regards to cell phones.  Your answer may directly affect your car insurance quotes.

In today’s busy world it is becoming increasingly harder to put down the cell phone or personal digital assistant.  It’s important to realize the impact driving while using your phone can have.  Not only are you more likely to be an unsafe driver but it could end up costing you hundreds of dollars in insurance premiums over the years.

A new topic that will be covered here in the smart auto insurance blog is driving laws.  While not exactly an auto insurance topic, all moving violations do indeed have an impact on auto insurance rates at the end of the day and changes to such laws should be of interest to those who have an interest in what is going on in the world of auto insurance.

Effective July 1, 2009, Tennessee joins 11 other US states (Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Utah, Virginia, and Washington) in banning text messaging by all drivers.

More information on Tennessee Auto Insurance.