Plan for Life Events:

First Car/ New Driver

Kids Perspective

A car for you means freedom to come and go as you please but it also means a big responsibility. The odds of you being in an accident in the first three years of driving are extremely high. Your personally safety, those of others and your family's finances are on the line. Treat this new found freedom with respect.

Parents Perspective

Well the day has arrived to put your son or daughter on the road. Parents typically have a sense of anxiety with this moment because of the statistics. We encourage you to enroll your child in a defensive driving course (can be taken online now) and arm them with all the information you can without scaring them. From an insurance perspective you weigh two options, buy a policy just for them or put them on yours. Each has pro's and con's so call us and we can help you with that decision. It is more cost effective to add them to your policy but you do assume the exposure as well. Before your new driver has a permit think about purchasing a Personal Umbrella Liability policy to give you some added liability protection.

What you both should know

Insurance is expensive in large part because of the statistics showing the odds of an accident for a new driver are high. It will remain expensive for the first three years. After that the costs will begin to decline as you grow older but only if you maintain a good driving and accident history.

Tickets & Accidents

Any violation in the three year period mentioned above will be scrutinized by insurance companies. Speeding tickets and accidents are especially difficult. Beware of cell phone use as well because there are some horror stories of teens in accidents while using a phone for talking or texting. Accidents in which you are at fault will be counted for a minimum of 39 months form the date of accident and will be surcharged if you have over $1,000 in damages or $1 in medical bills. Accidents that are not your fault will not be charged but can be a problem if there are other issues.

Insurance Required

Insurance is the most popular method of complying with New York State's financial responsibility provisions. A car cannot be put on the road without proof of insurance. If you fail to maintain insurance NY DMV is notified electronically by your insurance company and your license can be suspended and fines charged. Police also have the ability to check this information at the time of an accident or traffic stop.

Insurance Policy Overview

Insurance policies have a few major parts to them so please refer to our Vehicle Insurance section for more details.

Discounts

Defensive Driving courses only provide valuable information but allow you to save 10% on certain coverages for a three year period of time. We encourage you to take a course online or in a classroom setting it is well worth the time.
Good Student discounts are available from some companies and will require a B average or better. These will be checked periodically so if a grade average falls below the minimum then the discount will be removed.