Do you have a child with a permit excited to get their driver’s license? Let’s face it, the price to add them to insurance is steep and there’s a big reason why. High Risk. We know you care about your child’s safety so that’s why we’re thankful that Erie Insurance released a new partnership with ADEPT Driver called the TeenSMART program.
What is the risk?
The CDC and the National Safety Council states that the number one cause of preventable teen deaths in the U.S. is due to vehicle crashes. The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teens ages 16–19 than among any other age group. This risk increased drastically for newly licensed teens at age 16. They have a 1.5 times higher crash rate (per mile driven) than 18- and 19-year-old drivers.
Teen Driving Risk Factors include
- Inexperience: Young drivers haven’t yet learned how to quickly react when facing hazards
- Nighttime: The fatal crash rate (per mile driven) for nighttime driving is 3 times higher for teens than adult drivers
- Distracted driving: With access to smart phones, adding distractions to inexperience is a dangerous mix
- Speeding: Both speeding and allowing short distances between vehicles is more likely for teens than an older driver
- Drinking alcohol: Though it’s illegal for someone under the age of 21 years old to drink alcohol, a 2019 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that 5.4% of driving high school students drove after drinking alcohol at least once during the 30 days before taking the survey. Per 2020 data, we learned that of drivers ages 15–20 who were killed in a vehicle accident, 29% had been drinking.
How can the TeenSMART program help?
This driver safety program is designed to help teens develop safer driving habits which results in fewer collisions, injuries and filed insurance claims. Ever since 1999, this program has been focused on behavioral and social factors build skill and reduce auto accidents. This was designed to build confidence through videos, simulations, and parent-teen in-car driving activities. The increase of experience helps teen drivers make better decisions behind the wheel.
The Price of the Program & How to Enroll
While the standard cost of the program is $119.95, if you enroll through Erie, you’ll receive a discounted rate of $69.95. Not only that but Erie will give a 20% discount for the vehicle to which your young driver is assigned until they turn 21!
Erie insureds can sign their young drivers up via https://www.adeptdriver.com/erie-teensmart/ -OR- by calling the teenSMART order line at (877) 233-7879. The teenSMART program includes approximately six hours of computer time, plus parent-teen and in-car exercises. Training is divided into short 20-minute modules so teens can complete the program at their own pace.
Enrolling in this program not only saves you money, but it gives your young driver valuable information so that they can better avoid driving accidents! At the end of the day, there is nothing more important to us than the safety of your child.
Erie insurance is continually striving to create the best auto insurance policeis for their clients, at the best rates. This is another example of why we are proud to partner and work with Erie insurance, they care about their clients and they invest in their safety!
If you are a current Erie auto customer and want to know more about TeenSmart, reach out to us and we can help. If you don’t currently have an Erie insurance auto policy, give us a call or email one of our agent and we can provide a quote showing why Erie is consistently rated as one of the best insurance companies to have your car protected with.