Communication with Young People about Driving and Insurance

In my kid's mind, it's an eternity-waiting to reach the driving age. All they can think about is the freedom of driving down the road, while showing all their friends how "grown up" they think they are. As a parent, the time is passing way to quickly. All we can think about is the price of another car, or if we decide to allow them to drive the family car- the insurance. Yes, insurance, the big "I word" is what I like to call it. It's often the biggest determining factor in a parent's decision of whether or not to getting their children their own vehicle. Not a day goes by without my kids talking about driving. The "I word" however, never comes out of their mouth. With that in mind, the parents will always need to initiate the conversation with their children regarding Insurance (so young people be warned: this WILL burst your bubble!).

Why is this conversation so important? Simply because insurance-while somewhat reasonable for adults, is extremely high for young people. For example, I have a great friend in Missouri, that is married and has three children. The oldest is 17. He's a great kid, and extremely responsible. He has a learner's license. However, if he gets his drivers license, his Insurance will increase by 150 per month. This is per child! Whether the son ever drive's the family car or not is irrelevant. The insurance will automatically raise the cost. So, unfortunatley the oldest son can't get his driver's license for a while.

My friend had to have a serious conversation with is son, and with the other two children as well. The decision not easy to make, or for his sone ot accept. However, numbers speak louder than anything. The lesson from this is that children and parents must talk about car insurance. Young people want to drive. Most parents want their kids to grow up and be responsible drivers. However the difficulty of these economic times are forcing parents to hold back from getting their children a driver's licenses because of high insurance rates. Young people may not like the answer they get from their parents. However, they will respect their parents for being honest with them. So needless to say, I'm getting ready to have a talk with my kids tonight....