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Say it isn't so, weep the distraught parents as they get that dreaded call one evening from their local hospital. My son in a traffic accident? How can this be? Well, there's one inescapable statistic at work here. When you look at the causes of death in the age group of 15 to 20-years old, it's not disease that comes out top. Automobile accidents are the biggest killers of our young. Take one age as an example. Those who manage to make it through to 16 have the highest probability of being involved in a crash. In fact, they are three times more likely to be killed in an accident than the average death rate for all drivers. What is it about the age of 16? Why do they think it can never happen to them (whatever "it" is)? Whatever the reason, it's sad facts in this vein that explains the high premium rates for teen drivers. This does not mean you can never find lower rates, but it does force younger drivers to stand out from the death-wish crowd and show themselves interested in making it through to 17.

The approach to earning discounts for a teen is actually all about proving how safe a driver your teen can be. The law in some states is on the parent's side by making it mandatory for all drivers to take a certified education course as a condition of being allowed a license at 16. In those states, a failure to take the course means being refused a license until they are 18. The point is to give younger drivers the opportunity to learn good driving habits from the start. In many cases, this will be no more than a pious hope. But the approach is one which proves itself in slightly lower accident statistics. More generally, taking a certified education course can earn a discount of up to 15%. It seems even a voluntary attendance on such courses is considered a good move.

The majority of insurance companies also reward students with a good GPA. The statistics show there's a link between people who have a grade average of 3.0 or higher and lower accident records. Perhaps it's that someone responsible enough to be interested in their own education is also likely to be interested in living long enough to enjoy the benefits when it comes to getting a job. Whatever the reason, everyone with a GPA of 3.0 or higher will be rewarded with a discount ranging between 10 and 20%. Lower car insurance quotes also come through the internet if the teen manages to drive without picking up a ticket or actually getting into an accident. Careful driving is rewarded as time passes. This trend to discounts is maintained if your teen agrees to limit the overall mileage or not to drive at night. Such curfews limit road use when the risk of crashes is highest.

Putting all this together gives you the way to steer your teen in the direction of cheap car insurance and living long enough to be able to enjoy the cash saved. This is, of course, only logic to a parent and not the type of thing your teen would take as seriously.