It seems like a “right of passage” from childhood into becoming an adult. Your little boy or girl turns 17 and MUST have a car because everyone in school has one. Teens crave the freedom away from Mom and Dad, acceptance by their peers and the ability to show off (with the right vehicle of course!).
Teen Driving Statistics
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teen death in the Canada. An average of 6,000 teens die and another 300,000 are injured annually across the country. Teens crash for many reasons, but the most common are overconfidence, speeding, distraction, inexperience and drug and alcohol impairment.
In the Canada, teens (17 to 20 years of age) are invovled in 15% of crashes, and in some localized areas that percentage is even higher! Recent statistics show that motor vechicle crashes are now the #1 killer of teens in Canada, and while crashes account for only 2% of all deaths across the country, they account for a surprising 33% of teen injury deaths. Inexperience and immaturity are sited as the primary reasons for teen accidents.
Driver Education
In fact, because of the high death toll involved with teen driving, many provinces have already enacting Graduated Driver Licensing laws.
Graduated Driver Licensing introduces teenage drivers to the road in stages, over an extended period of time and in an environment that minimizes risk. First is the G1 – Permit Phase where the teen practices with supervision. Next is the G2 – Provisional or Probationary Phase where the teen is allowed independent driving with restrictions. After successfully completing a final road test after one year of G2 driving will the teen be granted full driving privileges at a G level. As your teen learns this new and important skill, practice is very important. As a parent or guardian of a new driver, spend as much time as possible helping and teaching your teen good driving habits.
Many provinces have restrictive laws that go along with having a Graduated license, such as:
- Restricted between midnight and 5:00am to having one passenger under the age of 19 years
- Blood alcohol level must be zero
- Driver and ALL passengers must wear seat belts
These laws may vary a bit by province but are now becoming extremely common. In Ontario, your child must complete at least 8 months of driving at the G1 level and complete a driver training course to graduate to the G2 level. One full year of G2 driving experience is needed to attempt your G level road test. Even with a G license young drivers must continue to have a blood alcohol level of zero until the end of their 21st year while driving.
Insurance-Friendly Cars For Teens
The decision is made. You want to buy your son or daughter their first car. It will be in your name and properly added to your policy. But what to buy? You know it’s not only the car model you have to consider. You also have to think about the impact the car will have on your auto insurance.
Insurance companies charge higher premiums youthful operators in three areas:
- Liability
- Accident Benefits
- Collision (damage caused to the vehicle in an accident
If you choose a vehicle that may be older, and does not require collision (a lower value vehicle) the premium will be considerably less than a newer one which will require full coverage. Each vehicles has a different safety rating. Therefore the better the safety rating the lower the accident benefit premium will be for the young driver.
Let us assist you in making a good choice for your teen. Contact Bunnell Hitchon Insurance Brokers Inc. and one of our brokers can help you make the right decision when buying that first car for your teenager.