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I need help understanding car insurance, teen boys, & homeschooling


Alicia64
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Any and all info. about car insurance, teen boys and homeschooling is very appreciated.

 

I know that insurance rates are better if kids are getting straight B's. Does the insurance company just believe the homeschool parent about grades?

 

Also, can a 16 year old get their license -- but not have insurance and NOT drive? (I learned that if a driver has had their license for nine years, they're not considered a new driver so rates go down. So we'd like our boys to have licenses at 16 if possible for that reason.)

 

Any advice very appreciated.

 

Alley

 

 

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State Farm accepted any kind of transcript for the good student discount or would have accepted an ACT score over a certain percentile (I don't remember). They did require proof though.

 

I don't know about your other question. Our boys have driven at 16 so we wouldn't have attempted not to have them on insurance. However, I believe I was told that anyone in the household with a license had to be on the insurance. That may vary from one company to another.

 

I dont know that the nine years thing would hold if they were not insured during that time. I know rates are cheaper if you stay continuously insured but I'm not sure a 25 yo driver who has never been insured is going to get a great rate.

 

Definitely speak to multiple agents and ask these questions. It will vary from state to state as well.

Edited by teachermom2834
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If you have a licensed driver in your household, Almost certainly (depending on state, I guess) they will need to be included on the insurance. Many families choose to delay allowing teens to get licenses to avoid the increase in car insurance. It is fraudulent to have a licensed driver and *not* disclose it to your insurance company.

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State Farm accepted any kind of transcript for the good student discount or would have accepted an ACT score over a certain percentile (I don't remember). They did require proof though.

 

 

 

Thanks! "They did require proof though." What kind of proof? Did they simply need to see transcripts w/ classes and grades?

 

Thanks again,

 

Alley

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If you have a licensed driver in your household, Almost certainly (depending on state, I guess) they will need to be included on the insurance. Many families choose to delay allowing teens to get licenses to avoid the increase in car insurance. It is fraudulent to have a licensed driver and *not* disclose it to your insurance company.

This.

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Thanks! "They did require proof though." What kind of proof? Did they simply need to see transcripts w/ classes and grades?

 

Thanks again,

 

Alley

My agent would have accepted any kind of somewhat official looking transcript with classes and grades. We printed an unofficial one from our umbrella school portal but I could have made one in excel or something. My particular agent wasn't picky.

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Ours needs a transcript for the discount.

 

Personally, the reason they got their license was so they could drive themselves. And yes, they need to drive a lot beyond their license to truly become a good driver. I can't imagine getting it and then not using those skills for nine years. You wouldn't be a very good driver then.

 

We waited until 18 for mine. Even after they get their license, they drive in a variety of situations because they're living at home and going to college, work, medical appointments, etc. My oldest commutes to college an hour away on the interstate in rush hour at times and is fine with that. Previously going to the local community college for two years and driving himself was a good build-up. 

 

Our agent said that they need to be on the insurance as soon as they get their license. Apparently they can look that sort of thing up if they need to. They actually called me when each of mine turned 16 to see what the plans were.

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Dh called our insurance company directly to ask about what kinds of discounts might qualify.  They gave us a discount for good grades, taking our word for it, and another discount for each of the dc practicing with some kind of driving software, which we had to purchase.  It reduced the rates for years, though, not just for that year.  

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You can mitigate the expense, a little, by listing them as part-time drivers of your cheapest (lowest book value) car.  If your current cars are still fully insured (not just collision) then it may even be cheaper to buy a really cheap old car to put the kids on with just collision insurance.  Comprehensive coverage for young, male drivers is sky high.  They have accidents.

 

I hear the rates go down when they get married, too.   Call a matchmaker?  ;P

 

 

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You can mitigate the expense, a little, by listing them as part-time drivers of your cheapest (lowest book value) car. If your current cars are still fully insured (not just collision) then it may even be cheaper to buy a really cheap old car to put the kids on with just collision insurance. Comprehensive coverage for young, male drivers is sky high. They have accidents.

 

I hear the rates go down when they get married, too. Call a matchmaker? ;P

When I called around for quotes some companies required our highest risk driver to be put on our highest value car. Yikes! My dh had just bought a new car and 16yo ds was not going to drive it. State Farm allowed us to put the 16 yo on our old car and just put liability on it. It is still very expensive :(. State Farm also put my college kid who has no car on an "away" status that was cheaper than having him home but allowed him to stay continuously insured.

 

It is one of my most hated chores to get insurance quotes and compare. All the companies have different rules and so hard to get all sorted out. But no way around it, insuring teen boys is expensive. Waiting until 18 is probably the best way to save a little. We chose to let ours drive at 16 though.

Edited by teachermom2834
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Our insurance company did away with the good grade discount instead they have an online course for teens to complete that qualifies them for a discount.   We have them wait until 17 for a license so they can continue to practice on their learner's permit with an adult and the insurance is free.  We also share vehicles because the cost of  insuring a driver on a shared vehicle is even lower.  

Edited by Artichoke
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You can mitigate the expense, a little, by listing them as part-time drivers of your cheapest (lowest book value) car. If your current cars are still fully insured (not just collision) then it may even be cheaper to buy a really cheap old car to put the kids on with just collision insurance. Comprehensive coverage for young, male drivers is sky high. They have accidents.

 

I hear the rates go down when they get married, too. Call a matchmaker? ;P

This varies by state. In my state, they have to be covered for all vehicles you own, you can't pick and choose.

 

My son chose on his own to wait until 18 for his license. We've never paid for insurance for him, but at 23 he still has a very reasonable rate due to no tickets or accidents, good student discount, and excellent credit. His comprehensive rates have never seemed very high, and he's had insurance for several years.

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You can mitigate the expense, a little, by listing them as part-time drivers of your cheapest (lowest book value) car. If your current cars are still fully insured (not just collision) then it may even be cheaper to buy a really cheap old car to put the kids on with just collision insurance. Comprehensive coverage for young, male drivers is sky high. They have accidents.

 

I hear the rates go down when they get married, too. Call a matchmaker? ;P

This didn't work for us. We are all drivers on all vehicles. We get discounts for taking the online course, taking the drivers ed course with 6 hours of driving time (only classroom is required in our state,) and good grades.

 

In Georgia a certificate of attendance from school is required for a license. I am sure there is a procedure for homeschooled kids. I don't know what it is. That is something you should look into.

Edited by Caroline
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 State Farm allowed us to put the 16 yo on our old car and just put liability on it. It is still very expensive :(. State Farm also put my college kid who has no car on an "away" status that was cheaper than having him home but allowed him to stay continuously insured.

 

 

Almost exactly what she said.  Except it didn't cost much more per month when our SF agent put our dc on our very-old-only-let-the-boys-drive-it clunker.

 

ETA, and, regarding your title...pull up a chair, this discussion is gonna take awhile!   :lol:

Edited by secretgarden
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I live in FL and we have USAA for car insurance.  We were asked if my 16 year old had "good grades" but were never required to provide any proof.  In order for him to even take his behind the wheel driving test for his license he had to show proof that he was insured.  He did not need insurance while he was driving with a drivers permit. 

 

I have been told (but have not verified, so take this with a grain of salt) that once you have had your permit for a year (and thus be eligible to receive your license) you must be insured.  So there is no use in keeping your permit for a long time in order to avoid paying for insurance.

 

His insurance is $6000/year.  :svengo:   For comparison, DH and I are less than $2000 for the both of us.  We have shopped around.   GEICO is about $500/year cheaper but we like USAA and for that small difference we would rather stay with USAA.  DS has his own car, but the rates didn't change much regardless of whether he was just added as a third driver on our cars or if we had a third car for him.  Once we had a third car and three drivers, we were required to put him as the primary on one of them.  

Edited by Pink and Green Mom
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State Farm requires proof of good grades.. His dad has him insured on his policy and it costs $144 for full coverage on a Prius with a high deductible of $1000. When they renewed it last week it went up by $96 per month. Turns out they had removed the good grade discount.

 

I work for a man who owns a body shop. I will never leave State Farm. I always liked them but seeing how other insurance companies compare when there is a claim......State Farm is far superior.

 

My son took drivers Ed (patent led on line course), did a State Farm program called Steer Clear, and has good grades. Those things keep his rate rate as low as possible. Dss will do the same.

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I called our insurance and asked if I had to report permitted but not licensed drivers. They told me that I did not, but that I had to report licensed drivers. Why would I get someone a license but not let them drive? Is it for ID purposes only? If so, our state has a state ID card for that purpose. 

 

Our insurance does not allow a person to be assigned as a driver of a specific vehicle. All drivers are for each vehicle - which is reflected in the insurance card for each vehicle. 

 

For proof of good grades, we scanned and emailed letter informing College Girl she was on the Dean's list. That was okay with them. She didn't get her license until she turned 18. 

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I don't have teenagers yet so know nothing about the discounts or getting the license, but I know when we recently moved and had to get new licenses, I had to bring proof of insurance before they would issue it. I'm guessing that may vary by state and county, but I couldn't get the license without the insurance.

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 when we recently moved and had to get new licenses, I had to bring proof of insurance before they would issue it. I'm guessing that may vary by state and county, but I couldn't get the license without the insurance.

 

That rule makes no sense, because many licensed drivers do not own a vehicle.

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That rule makes no sense, because many licensed drivers do not own a vehicle.

I don't know. I may have misspoken since we were also registering our cars then too, but I am pretty certain it has to do with the license. I believe it was the insurance which covers if you hit someone else (sorry tir d today and can't think of the name) at a minimum.

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Many teens around us wait until they turn 18 to get their license so their insurance will be lower, or the parents make the kid get a part-time job to pay for insurance, then once he has enough saved for the first year's premium, then he is allowed to get his license.

 

For us, we need our DS to drive himself places when he turns 16.   He runs cross country and track with our local high school, which = practice 6 days per week, plus he'll be dual enrolled next year in community college classes.   It's just not practical for us to let him get his license, then not drive.

 

DS had an online driver's ed course a few months ago with an assignment that asked how much his insurance would cost (among other things) once he became fully licensed.   Our agent looked at our policies with combined homeowners, multi-line, multiple vehicles, good driving discounts, etc., and estimated that DS will add $270-300 per month when he is 16.   They also gave us the recommendation to list the teenage driver on the vehicle that is cheapest to insure.

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You can purchase non car owners insurance to cover those times when you may drive. Some states may require that. I don't know since we've not lived in a state that does.

 

I never heard of a state requirement to purchase non car owners insurance and was never required to have any when I possessed a license without owning a vehicle. Which states require that?

 

It is useful only in a few select scenarios: https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/insurance/nonowner-car-insurance/

 

ETA: I have seen the requirement for people who were reinstating their driving privileges after an uninsured accident, driving with a suspended license, or DUI. But not for normal folks who happen to have a driver license but no car.

Edited by regentrude
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Many teens around us wait until they turn 18 to get their license so their insurance will be lower, or the parents make the kid get a part-time job to pay for insurance, then once he has enough saved for the first year's premium, then he is allowed to get his license.

 

For us, we need our DS to drive himself places when he turns 16. He runs cross country and track with our local high school, which = practice 6 days per week, plus he'll be dual enrolled next year in community college classes. It's just not practical for us to let him get his license, then not drive.

 

DS had an online driver's ed course a few months ago with an assignment that asked how much his insurance would cost (among other things) once he became fully licensed. Our agent looked at our policies with combined homeowners, multi-line, multiple vehicles, good driving discounts, etc., and estimated that DS will add $270-300 per month when he is 16. They also gave us the recommendation to list the teenage driver on the vehicle that is cheapest to insure.

In some states, it is legal for the insurer to pair the least experienced driver with the most expensive car.

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I never heard of a state requirement to purchase non car owners insurance and was never required to have any when I possessed a license without owning a vehicle. Which states require that?

 

It is useful only in a few select scenarios: https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/insurance/nonowner-car-insurance/

 

ETA: I have seen the requirement for people who were reinstating their driving privileges after an uninsured accident, driving with a suspended license, or DUI. But not for normal folks who happen to have a driver license but no car.

.

 

I don't know if any states require insurance for a license. As I said in my previous post some states may but I'm not certain since I've not lived in a state with that requirement. Sorry if I was unclear.

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Our daughter got her license a few months after her 16th birthday.  We wanted to get it before her permit expired, but couldn't afford the insurance at the time due to medical bills.  We did not allow her to drive at all after she got her license until she was insured two months later.  She is primary on our oldest, least valuable vehicle because we needed to list her on one of them.  The cost of insurance more than doubled what we were already paying, and I am sure will be more than that when our son is ready to drive.  For the good student discount, I put together a report card and sent a copy via email to the insurance company.  They accepted it without any problems.

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