It’s no secret that teen drivers aren’t always the safest. Automobile accidents involving 16-year-olds occur nine times more than those involving 20-year-olds, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. And 17-year-olds’ rate of auto accidents is six times higher than that of adults. The American Automobile Association says that here in California, 18,000 teens are injured or killed annually in vehicular accidents. In fact, even though teens make up only seven percent of all drivers, they are involved in fourteen percent of fatal auto accidents annually.
California’s recent graduated drivers’ licensing law has helped keep teen drivers safer on the road,” said Andrew Gillin , managing partner here at GJEL. “What’s also critical for parents is to understand their auto insurance policy. Coverage must accommodate young drivers in the event of catastrophic injury while on the road.”In 2009, GJEL Accident Attorneys saw an increase of nearly twenty percent of personal injury vehicular accidents over 2008 with a number of them involving teenage drivers. Teenage drivers are more distracted today with cell phones and texting than they were five years ago. A substantial percentage of the law practice at Gillin, Jacobson, Ellis & Larsen involves vehicular accidents.
Quiz 2: Auto Insurance & Teen Drivers
Answer the questions below in the GJEL Accident Attorneys Quiz on Auto Insurance & Teen Drivers to test understanding of the family auto insurance policy. Any “false” or “don’t know” answers suggest it might be a good idea to do some homework to find out if your insurance may be lacking.
Auto insurance policy rates will change if a child has a vehicle at college.
[ ]True [ ] False [ ] Don’t Know
If a teenager is in an accident with an uninsured driver, the family motorist policy will cover all claims in the accident.
[ ]True [ ] False [ ] Don’t Know
When children attend college out of state; the family auto insurance policy covers the vehicle they drive.
[ ]True [ ] False [ ] Don’t Know
My insurance company offers good-student discounts for teenage drivers.
[ ]True [ ] False [ ] Don’t Know
Our family auto insurance policy covers any non-member of the family including other teenage drivers who may drive the family car.
[ ]True [ ] False [ ] Don’t Know
If a teenage driver is involved in a hit-and-run accident as the driver of any car, the family insurance policy will cover accident claims.
[ ]True [ ] False [ ] Don’t Know
The family auto insurance policy covers my teen when they drive someone else’s car with under-age passengers.
[ ]True [ ] False [ ] Don’t Know
In the event teenage drivers are involved in unlawful possession of alcohol or drugs while driving a family car, auto insurance premiums will increase for the entire family and not just that driver.
[ ]True [ ] False [ ] Don’t Know
The family’s auto insurance policy, including coverage of our college students, provides coverage for any incident regardless of geographic location.
[ ]True [ ] False [ ] Don’t Know
Families can expect to pay higher premiums for auto insurance for new teen driver regardless of whether male or female.
[ ]True [ ] False [ ] Don’t Know
Andy Gillin received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is the managing partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has written and lectured in the field of plaintiffs’ personal injury law for numerous organizations. Andy is a highly recognized wrongful death lawyer in California.