Most of us know what is going to happen when we add our 16 year old to our Texas Insurance Policy, our premiums are going to sky-rocket. What can we do about it? Several states are thinking about changing the way teens acquire their driving licences, to make sure they are well prepared behind the wheel. There are certain things, we as parents or instructors, can do to make sure our teenagers are ready to drive unsupervised. Listed below are some tips to help your teen son or daughter.

• Texas require teens to have a driving permit before the licence is obtained, meaning they must have an adult over a certain age be in the front seat with the teen driver for a certain period of time.. Parents or guardians should take advantage of this opportunity and let their teens drive them around. If you have several errands to run; dry cleaners, grocery store, or the post office; let your teen drive. The more your teen is behind the wheel, the more prepared they are going to be when they are able to drive unsupervised.
• Give your teen criticism, both good and how to correct the bad. Giving good driving tips are key, also when you are driving, drive as you would want your teen to drive. It is not wise to tell your teen to drive carefully and pay attention, when you are doing the opposite and driving recklessly. Don’t worry about turning the radio on. This is time for learning, and not for distractions. If you feel a heated conversation coming  on, avoid it at all costs until you and your teen are safely at home and out of the vehicle.
• Most of us can’t afford to go out and buy our teens brand new cars, which might not necessarily a good idea. It is also not wise on our part to give or buy them a piece of junk either. Before you turn our teens out onto the road we need to make sure they are going to be safe in what ever they are going to be driving. When buying a used car check the brakes, tires, steering and so on.
• When your son or daughter finally gets their licence, ride with them occasionally. You would be surprised if they took your criticism or not. Still stress the importance of driving safely and staying focused while driving. Another good idea might be to have your son or daughter participate in paying for part of their Texas Car Insurance. Driving comes with a price, and what better way to prepare them for the everyday world or paying for what you want?

Last year there was a survey taken in over 15 Texas high schools, that consisted over 4000 students, asking about their driving habits. Teens are a high risk anyways, but when you add talking on your cell phone, text messaging while driving, and having a car full of friends in the car with you, this alone calls for trouble. How many teenagers do all this while driving? The survey came back saying nearly HALF!!! Teenagers don’t have the experience in driving as it is, but when you factor in all the above mentioned nothing good would prevail. Let’s say you and a friend are on your way to the mall on a sunny Saturday afternoon. You just had lunch together, and are now heading to shop for new clothes. Your at a red light. The light turns green and you proceed to go. In the next instant you hear metal on metal, glass breaking, and the air bags deploy. What happened? You get out of the car, and see that another car containing 4 teenagers, music turned up, cell phones in hand, and they are blaming you. “The light was green,” you say. They are the ones that broke the law and CAUSED an accident. Everyone turns out to be fine, the police arrive, and go talk to the group on teens.  They, of cource, blame you and your friend. Why? Because the teen driver that had the group with him, was probably distracted, wasn’t paying attention, had the music turned up entirely to loud, and might have been on his cell phone. This is a good example of why Texas Car Insurance is so expensive to HIGH RISK teenagers.  When you are insuring a teen, please make sure you shop around before you settle on a high premium. There are certain discounts Texas Auto Insurance companies offer to Safe Drivers. Also, talk to your teen about the safety of driving, and also how to be responsible behind the wheel.