Statistically speaking, teenage drivers are 60% more likely to have accidents when they’re behind the wheel than their parents are. We all know it, but that doesn’t stop our hearts from leaping in our throats each and every time we have to hand over the car keys-or keep us from flinching at the thought of what those accidents are going to do to our car insurance rates!

Did you know that the average car insurance company will raise your rates by 40% or more with your very first accident? When you think about what adding 40% on to your car insurance will do with your rates as they are when it’s just you on the policy that’s enough to make you squirm. Add that on to the fact that you’re already paying overinflated rates to help cover the cost of keeping your teenager insured and it’s enough to make you want to switch your teen’s major mode of transportation over to hoofing it-or buying a Schwinn. Whatever.

The best thing you can do to keep your teen driver from killing your car insurance rates is teach them to be a safe, responsible driver. Limit the number of people they have in the car with them at any time, and for the first year or so be careful with the amount of time they spend on interstates and major highways, since this is where the urge to put the pedal to the metal usually kicks in the strongest. It’s not always possible to head accidents off at the past though, as you probably already know very well if you’ve ever been in one yourself. Once they’ve already been in an accident the only thing you can do is try and play damage control.

The first thing you want to do is take a look at your car insurance policy. Why? Because the latest trend of today’s insurers is to dangle the possibility of accident forgiveness out in front of their drivers like a carrot to lure them in. What’s accident forgiveness? If you’ve got a five year good driver record and haven’t gotten on your insurance provider’s wrong side yet you may be able to have your accident either forgiven or lightly blurred, minimizing the impact it’s going to have on your car insurance rates.

And since your teen is on your policy that accident forgiveness may be extended to them too.

Keep in mind that accident forgiveness isn’t the same as accident forgetfulness. If you (or your teen) decides to change car insurance companies later on you’re still going to have to tell them about the accident, and it still might affect your insurance rates. It’s still going to be a good idea to suggest to your teen that they take a driver improvement class, since they’re going to have negative points on their license that are going to hurt them the minute they come off your policy and onto your own. (Studies show that young men have a rate increase of 100% and young women 50% when they get their own policy, even without an accident dragging them down.)

Most teenagers have an accident sooner or later. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be the kiss of death for your car insurance rates. Give your insurance agent a call. You might be surprised at what they have to say.

Clifford F. Berman is the CEO of QuoteScout.com. Since its launch in 1996 the company has specialized in matching consumers requests for insurance quotes with multiple insurance quotes from both local agents and national insurance carriers. To find out more about accident forgiveness and your teen’s car insurance, visit them on the web at www.QuoteScout.com

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