Back to School, Behind the Wheel

Late summer means backpacks, schedules, and for a lot of Indiana and Ohio families, a new teenager on the road for the first time. Whether your teen just got their license or is finally driving themselves to school this fall, adding a young driver to your auto policy is one of those moments that catches parents off guard — both in terms of paperwork and cost. Here's what you need to know before the first day of school.

The first step is simple but easy to forget in the back-to-school rush: call your agent as soon as your teen is licensed, not after. Most insurers require you to formally add a new driver to your policy, and driving them around uninsured — even for a few weeks — leaves your family exposed if something happens. It also gives your agent time to shop your policy across carriers and find the best combination of coverage and price for your specific situation.

Yes, adding a teen driver raises your premium. That's simply the reality of insuring someone with less experience behind the wheel. But the increase doesn't have to be as steep as most parents expect, especially when you're working with an independent agency. Because we place policies with carriers like Liberty Mutual, Progressive, Travelers, and nearly a dozen others, we can compare options instead of being stuck with a single company's rate for a teen driver — often finding savings other parents don't realize are out there.

There are also discounts worth asking about specifically. Good student discounts reward teens who maintain a B average or better, and telematics or safe-driving programs — like Travelers' IntelliDrive or Liberty Mutual's RightTrack — track actual driving habits and can lower rates for cautious drivers. Defensive driving courses can help too. None of these are automatic; they're the kind of thing your agent has to actively apply on your behalf, which is exactly why it's worth a quick conversation before renewal.

It's also a good time to double-check the basics with your teen: your policy's liability limits, what happens if they're driving a friend's car (or vice versa), and what to do if they're ever in an accident. A five-minute conversation now can save a lot of confusion later.

If you've got a new driver in the house this school year, let's make sure your policy — and your rates — reflect it accurately. A quick call to our office can get your teen properly covered without overpaying for it.