"People don't want to be inaccessible for even 15 minutes driving up the street," said Harrison, 19, a sophomore at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. "They're so used to being accessible all the time.

"Targeting inexperienced motorists, several states have passed laws during the past five years restricting cell phone use by teenage drivers.

But a recently released insurance industry study looked at whether teens are ignoring such restrictions contends enforcement and parental influence are just as important as new laws. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studied specific state laws which fine motorists under age 18 who are caught using a cell phone.

Researchers who watched as high school students left school found that teenage drivers used their cell phones at about the same rate both before and after the laws took effect.

"Cell phone bans for teen drivers are difficult to enforce," said Anne McCartt, the institute's senior vice president for research and an author of the study. "Drivers with phones to their ears aren't hard to spot, but it's nearly impossible for police officers to see hands free devices or correctly guess how old drivers are."

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, according to the government's auto safety agency, and teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers.

The institute says 17 states and the District of Columbia have cell phone restrictions in licensing requirements for teen drivers. The National Transportation Safety Board in 2003 recommended that states limit or bar young drivers from using cell phones, leading many states to act.

Harrison, who serves with Students Against Destructive Decisions, an advocacy group focused on highway safety issues, said few of her friends know about laws banning cell phone use by novice drivers.

Bill Bronrott, a Maryland state delegate who sponsored a successful bill in 2005 prohibiting rookie drivers under 18 from using cell phones, except to make 911 emergency calls, said a "combination of education and enforcement" was critical. So, too, parental involvement.
Added Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association: "What these kinds of laws do is send the message to the parent more than anything else."

In the North Carolina study, researchers found that 11 percent of teenage drivers observed departing 25 high schools during the two months before the ban took effect were using cell phones. About five months after the ban took effect, during the spring of 2007, nearly 12 percent were observed using phones.

In the North Carolina phone survey, 95 percent of parents and 74 percent of teenagers supported the restriction. But 71 percent of teens and 60 percent of parents felt that enforcement was rare or nonexistent.In North Carolina, 37 citations were issued in 2007 by the state highway patrol to teens using a cell phone while operating a vehicle. Twenty-eight citations have been issued in 2008.

Selena Childs, executive director of the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force, said in an e-mail that with many child safety laws in the state, "knowing that it's against the law is enough for many people to choose to comply with a law."

Childs said the state's driver's license system for young drivers has been effective "not so much because of law enforcement/citations, but because parents and teens self-enforce the law, resulting in reduced crashes.

"Matt Sundeen, a transportation analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures, said many state laws on cell phones are new, making it difficult to assess their impact. He said more states are considering similar restrictions.

The institute conducted two separate telephone surveys: the first, before the cell phone restriction took effect, was in November 2006 and involved 400 pairs of parents and teenagers; the second, after the law had taken effect, was in April 2007 and involved a different sample of 401 pairs of parents and teenagers. Each survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Please share your thoughts here to help keep our young drivers safe and alive!

Why Insurance Rates for Teens Are So High?

As an insurance agent, this is probably one of the most frustrating responses I get from parents who are adding their teen to their car insurance. I understand this frustration and after I explain the reasons, they usually respond with “But, my teen is a good driver…”

That may be true and you’ve probably spent countless hours helping your teen become a safer driver. If you have, then you should be glad that the chances of your teen getting into an accident will be less likely than most teens on the road. But let me emphasize… Less Likely Than Other Teens… not experienced drivers.

It takes thousands of hours behind the wheel to get the experience to avoid accidents and become the safest of drivers. And this can take years. Here’s a statistic to prove this point.

The crash rate for 16 year olds is nearly 3 times higher than 19 years and nearly 6 times higher than drivers 20 to 24 years old.

Unfortunately, you are going to have to pay high rates for your teen to drive. But, you can take steps to avoid paying the highest rates and keep them down.

Step One- Use an insurance agent that specializes in insuring teen drivers. Family Insurance Specialists represent companies that offer good rates but most importantly offer quality insurance protection that can help you avoid paying out of your own pocket for an accident if your teen causes an accident.

Step Two- Make sure you are getting every discount you deserve. Available discounts may include safe driver, claims-free, good grades, multiple policies with the same company, and in some states you can qualify for a lower rate by keeping a good credit rating.

Step Three- Buy a safe, older, lower profile vehicle for your teen to drive. Make sure it has airbags and anti-lock brakes and is not considered a dangerous vehicle. Your Family Insurance Specialist can help you decide which vehicles are least expensive to insure.

Step Four- Increase your deductibles or drop the collision on older vehicles. If your teen is driving an older, less expensive car, you can “self insure” the car. That means of course, if something happens, you’ll have to pay for the damages to your car, but it can save you a lot of money- nearly 1/3 to 1/2!

Step Five- Get a Teen Driver Monitoring Device installed in your teen’s car. Some insurance companies offer special discounts for these systems. The greatest advantage of these systems is that this will most likely prevent your teen from speeding. Speeding tickets can greatly increase your insurance rates and jeopardize your insurance coverage. Insurance companies know that if a teen driver gets a speeding ticket, the likelihood of an accident in the near future is great. You could get cancelled and it may be more difficult to get another insurance company to pick you up.

To learn more about how you can get the right protection for your teen driver, find out other ways you can save on your car insurance, and keep your teen driver safe visit my website at www.teendriverinsurance.com/paramount or call my office at 869-3335.

"Trunking"- The Latest Danger to Teens!

Just when you thought you've heard it all...

As I was doing my research for this month's issue of my Driver’s Seat e-newsletter, I came across an article about the latest killer of teens.

We all know that car accidents are the number one killer of teens in the US. Now there is a trend going across the country that is adding to the danger of a teen behind the wheel and it's referred to as "Trunking".

As a teen, I remember hearing about kids in school that would climb into a trunk to sneak into a drive-in movie. Of course, I would never partake in such an act. But today, now that the drive-in movie is obsolete, there's another reason why kids are doing this.

Almost every state in the country now has laws limiting the number of passengers during the first few years of a teen driver's experience. These laws were passed to reduce the distractions in the car that have been proven to cause so many accidents. In order to circumvent these laws, kids are now packing themselves in the trunk of the car to be able to go with their friends. The worst part is that they will stay in the trunk while being driven all over town and even beyond.

The dangers are obvious to us and include suffocation, carbon monoxide poisoning, heat exposure, freezing, being crushed or thrown out of the car as a result of an accident. You can just imagine how dangerous this could be for your child.

So what do you do? First explain the dangers and then define the consequences/punishment of this type of action. If your child is guilty, take away driving privileges and inform all the involved kids' parents of the act. You'll also want to pass this article on to other parents, just to let them know what kids are up to these days, so they can proactively counsel against it.

To sign up for a free subscription to my e-newletter, Driver’s Seat, visit my website at www.teendriverinsurance.com/paramount and register for VIP Access. You’ll also be able to learn more about you can best protect your family.

StreetSafe Registration Now Open!

Hi,

Registration is now open for the StreetSafe Teen Driver Course at GTCC Jamestown Campus on July 26th.

Go to www.streetsafeus.com and click the "enroll in a class" tab to sign up. There are two sessions: 9AM and 2PM.

Register NOW before it fills up! Only 120 teens will be enrolled.

Don't miss this opportunity to make your teen a safer driver!

See you on the 26th!

Tom

Attention Parents: Street Safe Event is Filling Up!

July 26th is going to be here before we know it and everything is coming together for this exciting event.

If you didn't know about this and you are a parent of new driver, you may want to read this post.

My friend, Officer Jim Poer and I went down to Wilmington a few months ago to witness the most amazing teen driver training program we have ever seen. Well, we worked out a deal to bring the StreetSafe training team to the Triad.

Here's a description of the event:

Teens and Driving - The Deadly Equation Motor Vehicle Crashes (MVC's) are the leading cause of death for American teens; more so than drugs, guns or disease. In fact, MVC's kill more teens than the next four leading causes of death combined. Despite driver education programs across the United States, 6000 teens die in MVC's every year. It is obvious current programs are not giving teens the experience or information they need to become safe drivers.

In response to this need, the StreetSafe Teen Driving Program was created by a retired police officer. StreetSafe is a hands-on driving program offered to teenagers through S Solutions, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. StreetSafe TDP is fashioned after the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course taught to law enforcement and fire personnel. StreetSafe allows teens to witness and experience the consequences of improper motor vehicle operation, particularly in dangerous situations, but in a controlled environment. As a result, teens will gain the experience and information they need to appreciate driving safely and strive to become better drivers.

Specifically, StreetSafe gives teens the chance to experience losing control of a car, teaches them a realistic stopping distance and the hazards of distractions. It also teaches the dangers of alcohol use while driving. Teens should enroll in StreetSafe after obtaining a learner’s permit or driver’s license and are taught by law enforcement and fire personnel who are certified to operate vehicles under treacherous or emergency conditions. These instructors are all too familiar with the tragic results of unsafe teen driving. StreetSafe is not only directed at teens, but just as importantly, their parents, by teaching ways they can help their teens become safer, more responsible drivers. Parent sessions are conducted by a sitting County District Court judge and the past President of the North Carolina Drivers Education Association.

The cost is only $25 per teen driver and pre-registration has already begun. There is room for 120 teens and it is already filling up fast. You can pre-register your teen by sending an e-mail to streetsafe@zipdrip.com.

Young drivers with a drivers license or permit ages 15 to 21 can attend this training.
If you have any questions, please call my office at 869-3335 or send me an e-mail to tom@teendriverinsurance.com.

StreetSafe Comes to the Triad!

It is finalized! But, you must act fast to enroll!

The Teen Driving program, StreetSafe is coming to the Triad on Saturday, July 26th. This 4 hour event to be held at the GTCC- Jamestown Campus will give teens a "behind the wheel" experience of the most common dangerous situations that cause accidents.

A few months ago, my friend, Officer James Poer of the High Point PD and I had the opportunity to visit the Wilmington-based program in action which is presented by emergency response professionals. We were both so amazed at the effect it had on the teenagers and parents alike, that we were compelled to bring this event to the triad- to help our families make their teens safer drivers. So, here we are. It's lined up.

Here's a description of the program:
Specifically, StreetSafe gives teens the chance to experience losing control of a car, teaches them a realistic stopping distance and the hazards of distractions. It also teaches the dangers of alcohol use while driving. Teens should enroll in StreetSafe after obtaining a learner’s permit or driver’s license and are taught by law enforcement and fire personnel who are certified to operate vehicles under treacherous or emergency conditions. These instructors are all too familiar with the tragic results of unsafe teen driving. StreetSafe is not only directed at teens, but just as importantly, their parents, by teaching ways they can help their teens become safer, more responsible drivers.

If you want to pre-register, send an e-mail to streetsafe@zipdrip.com. We expect this course to fill up quickly, especially considering the cost is only $25 per teen driver. You will receive an e-mail with instructions as soon as registration begins.

So, if you want to better prepare your teen for the dangers they face, sign up now!

Tom

Study Explains the Staggering Cost of Insuring Teen Drivers

Ask any parent who has just added a kid to the family's insurance policy and they'll tell you how expensive it is to have a teen behind the wheel. But the overall cost of teen driving is as tragic as it is staggering.

According to a recent report from AAA, car accidents involving drivers 15 to 17 cost society more than $34 billion in medical expenses, property damage and related costs in 2006. AAA also reports, in 2006 drivers ages 15 to 17 were involved in approximately 974,000 crashes that injured 406,427 people and killed 2,541. Here are more sobering statistics:

• According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens, accounting for 36 percent of all deaths in this age group.
• The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group, and per-miles-driven teens ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
• Risk is highest at age 16, and the crash rate per miles driven is twice as high for 16 year olds as it is for 18 and 19 year olds, according to the IIHS.
• IIHS statistics show that 16- and 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger.

Parents can reduce the high cost of insuring their teen drivers. There are special discounts that can really make a big difference in how much you will have to pay for your teen to drive. Some of these discounts include:

• Good Student- If you teen driver has a "B" average or better, you can save up to 10%.
• Multi-policy- If you insure your home and cars with the same company, you can save up to 15% on both policies
• GPS Teen Driver Monitoring System- There is one company that offers a 15% discount for installing this unit in the teen driver's car
• Safe Driver- If your family has a clean driving and claims record, you can save up to 15%
• Good credit- Some companies reward responsible customers based on their credit. This can be very significant and can save you as much as 35%.

The bottom line is that the most responsible families will pay the lowest premium. Stress to your teen that avoiding tickets and accidents is most critical to not only keeping your insurance rates down, but of course, assure the safety of your teen driver and others.

You can learn more about ways to save on your insurance and how you can keep your teen safe by visiting my website at www.teendriverinsurance.com/paramount.

Wishing you and your family the best in health, happiness and prosperity.

Tom