By: Howard Rymes

Howard Rymes — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:20:01 +0000

Dear Sir/Madam: Dec 13th. I teach high school automotives here in Calgary and part of our course is Auto Service and Care. We talk about vehicle insurance and how much it cost to operate a motor vehicle. I have noticed the trend over the last 10 years that less and less high school students are driving vehicles. This relates to our studies because many of my students have never worked on a vehicle before they reach grade ten. I would like to share their thoughts with you on Teenage Insurance. My class group said because they can not afford insurance, less and less youth are driving. They have observed that many adults are involved in crashes here in Calgary. Last week there was over 270 auto crashes in one day and our students assumed none were teenagers. The age group who are speeding on Deerfoot and Crowchild trail are not teenagers but people in the upper 40′s and 50′s trying to get to work on time. The age group who are the tail gaters are not the teenagers, but the aggressive young executives who are in a big hurry to get to their office on time.
Our automotive class students also realized that there are 4 adults to one teen. So the insurance company makes lots of money off the adults and if the insurance company charged the adults what they charge the teens, the adults would not be driving and the insurance companies would go broke.
So all the big talk about teens driving fast and crashing alot is not all true. It’s not true because the teens are not driving. It is the adults that crash, speed and drive like there is no tomorrow.
Maybe look into the high school population and see how many teens drive and then compare that to the people involved in crashes and speeding tickets.You may have your eyes opened. But for now, as long as the adults pay a low premium, the insurance can make all the excuses they want about the teen drivers. Just remember, the baby boomers are getting older and they will be involved in more crashes and then who will the insurance companies blame for the high cost of pay outs and insurance claims?
Maybe it is time to charge the adults who crash to many times and then reduce the fees for the teen and let them prove they are good drivers.
Thank you
Howard Rymes
Calgary, Alberta

Comments on: Why Is Car Insurance So Expensive For Teenagers?

By: Howard Rymes