The Power of Choice- From the eyes of Cara Filler
Posted by Matt G. of Teensurance on Nov 11th 2007
As you may recall, I recently posted an entry with advice from various industry people associated with the “driving community” for parents who are contemplating the thought of buying their teen’s first car. Keeping with the theme, I wanted to share with you some feedback from another reputable source.
She is a compelling author, entrepreneur and speaker, who presents to schools, colleges, businesses and groups all over the world and is an advocate to safe teen driving. Her name is Cara Filler (www.carafiller.com) and below are her tips n’ tricks to keep in mind before you sign the lease on your teen’s first car.
“It is now October, and parents across the country have just sent their driving age kids back to high school and college, equipped with a potentially deadly weapon in a range of colors, styles, models, sizes, and fuel efficiency. So I was wondering: How were those cars bought? Were the buying decisions based on what type of car? How much money to spend? How safe the car would be? What were the major factors in the purchase of that vehicle that would ultimately lead, in the eyes of a teen, to freedom and adulthood?
According to a survey done by AutoExtra.com 90% of parents rated safety and reliability at the top of the list of factors to consider while shopping for a car while only 61% of teens considered that a factor at all. The major motivating factor for teens was style and coolness at 66%. So how do parents help their kids make the right decision about what type of car to drive and how to handle the responsibility of it all? When your teen is ready for their first set of wheels here are just a few tips to keep in mind when purchasing a car for your teen driver.
1) Safety
should be the first priority when choosing a vehicle for your teen. Teens are involved in more car crashes than any other age group. In fact, more than 11,000 teens die every year on streets in the US. So choose a car that will give them the most protection in a crash, because it is likely that your teen will be involved in a crash during their first two years of driving. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety crash-tests dozens of cars every year to find their safety ratings. Do some research online to find out which cars fair best in those tests. There are sites that can provide you with a side by side comparison of vehicle makes and models. Do your homework. Just because your son or daughter likes the way a car looks doesn’t make it safe.
2) Factor in the costs
of buying and operating a vehicle. Cars are expensive. There is more to cars than just the sale price. With gas prices at an all time high, unexpected maintenance costs lurking around the corner and insurance rates for teen drivers in the thousands of dollars it is important for your teen to understand the actual cost of having their “own car”. Sit down with your teen and budget out what the car payment, insurance, gas costs and vehicle maintenance would be to operate the car for one year. Then come up with a plan called Who pays for what? This can be a combined effort; solely the responsibility of your teen or you decide to have the full burden of paying all the expenses falls squarely on your shoulders. It’s your call. In hindsight, one of the best things my parents did for me was to NOT PAY FOR MY CAR. Yes- At the time I thought they were evil and unfair, but when I had saved up enough money and bought my very first car- a 1990 Jeep Wrangler I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride. I had earned every penny to buy that vehicle and I was going to make sure that I took it care of it. I think it is important that your teen makes some financial investment in the overall cost of buying and operating a vehicle. When a teen invests their hard earned money into anything it places a higher value on that item. If that item may cost them thousands of dollars, it might be the reality check they need in order to realize that driving mom’s Subaru station wagon isn’t all that bad.
3) Set some ground rules
about acceptable behavior and of course ownership, maintenance and responsibility for all things relating to your teens new best friend- their car. Driving is a privilege and not a right of passage, like most teenagers believe. As a parent, you need to make the consequences for breaking the rules crystal clear. The parent/teen contract offered by TeenInsurance is a great place to start. It states very simply the responsibilities of the teen driver and of the parent and also has a place to list consequences for not following the rules. Commitments like “I will always wear my seatbelt” I will not text message while driving” and “I will never get into a car with someone under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol” are just a few of the conditions under which you and your teen both agree and sign the contract. It goes one step further by listing the costs associated with the vehicle and who’s responsible for paying what. (great place to answer tip #2) It is one of the best contracts I have seen in my 12 years working in this field. It’s simple, easy to follow and is a giant leap in the right direction of letting your teen know that having a car is fun…
Is expensive…
Is a huge responsibility…
Is a potentially deadly weapon…All rolled into one.”
By Cara Filler