The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens in the U.S., with teen motorists ages 15 to 19 being four times more likely to be involved in a crash compared to older motorists. Since teens are largely high-risk motorists, they typically face high auto insurance rates. More specifically, the annual rates for car insurance for high school students typically range anywhere from $4,000 to 8,000. Moreover, adding a teen to a parent's policy will cause the policy to increase by at least 50%. That said, here are important factors to consider when shopping for teenagers' car insurance.

How Insurers Base Teenagers Car Insurance

In general, car insurance providers base their car insurance for high school students on several factors, including a teen's age, gender, driving record, and credit score. Additionally, insurers also consider the model, age, and make of the vehicle(s) in question. Keeping this in mind, some of the factors you should consider when buying car insurance for teenagers include:

Collision and Comprehensive Coverage

High school students motorists usually drive older, used, and, therefore, less valuable vehicles. As a teen motorist, if you drive such a vehicle, you may want to exclude collision and comprehensive coverage from your car insurance policy. Note that if you exclude these optional features, you'll still retain your liability coverage, which compensates any other individuals affected by a car crash, if you're the at-fault party.

Age, Model, and Make of the Vehicle(s)

In general, family and commuter vehicles such as the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Honda Odyssey usually attract some of the lowest insurance premiums, according to auto insurance industry experts. In light of this, you should consider this factor when shopping for teenagers' car insurance.

Car Insurance for Teenager - Gender

As mentioned previously, most car crashes in the U.S. involve teen drivers. However, in terms of gender, male teenage motorists cause more car crashes compared to their female counterparts. For instance, in 2013 alone, teen male motorists were involved in twice as many fatal crashes as teen female drivers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This fact is not lost to auto insurance companies, so you, too, should consider it when buying car insurance for students.

Car Insurance for Student - Discounts

This is another important factor to consider when looking for car insurance for a teenager. Broadly speaking, different auto insurance providers offer different discounts and incentives aimed at high school students. Examples of such discounts and incentives include: €¢ Defensive driver discount €¢ Good student discount €¢ Multi-policy discount €¢ Low-mileage discount These are just some of the factors you should consider when shopping for car insurance for high school students. Contact the experts at Weeks & Associates Insurance Services in Thousand Oaks, California, to get the best coverage for your needs.