In the past few years “who is a designate driver” has been approached by many new operators in the transport and small business industry – many of these providing weekend transport to those who go “on the night out”! It is of the utmost importance for road safety that we remove the drunk and impaired drivers from the roads. There is consensus amongst road safety officials that the answer to achieving this is enforcement – not only enforcement from our traffic officials – bit more important, self-enforcement!

The more road users we find self-breathalysing and monitoring their blood alcohol levels, the lesser the risk on our roads. The best advice however remains to use a designated or a zero alcohol level driver. This can either be a friend who is not drinking or a driver from a company who provides this facility at a price.

We usually look at the designated driver from a safety and sober driving perspective only. Bit are you aware how important this might be for your car Insurance premium?

Importance of the Designated Driver for Car Insurance

To consider the importance of the designated driver we should emphasize a few important aspects used in the calculation of car insurance premium:

The insured carThe insured driverThe distance drivenThe time of the day that you driveThe area where you driveClaims history etc

Through the application of the data provided by vehicle telematics these are factors that have become of ever increasing importance to the insurance company. Your car insurer will be aware that the greatest risk to car insurance claims is young drivers driving at night and especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. Driving at these times by young drivers is most often associated with speeding, impaired driving and not only by the driver of that specific vehicle, but also other road users sharing the roads.

By rather pooling funds and paying the designated driver you may be able to save on the risks to your car insurer. You will be driving less at these dangerous times and reduce the risks of unnecessary insurance claims not only brought about by your own driving , but also the fender benders and more serious damage from other impaired drivers! Not only may you avoid increases brought about by additional claims, but you will also be able to travel less with your own vehicle – making ot possible for you to benefit from Pay as you go or pay as your drive premiums!

We would like to urge all our vehicle owners to do some research on designated driving companies in the area where they live. Keep their numbers on your cellular phones and stay on the safe side- ALWAYS!!

Jeff Johnson: Would teen driving restrictions change auto insurance premium rates?

Driving restrcitions and teen auto insurance.

Response :  If a new Federal Act passes, all teens will have to go through an even more steps to get their driver’s license.

 Teens have the highest insurance rates of any other driving group and there is good reason. Teens also have the highest accident rates of any other group. Now, this is not to say that all teen drivers are bad. They just do not have the experience and maturity level that is learned with experience and this leads to more accidents.

To try and keep our teen drivers safe (and the rest of us) a new law is making its way through congress that would impose teen driving restrictions for drivers under the age of 18.

 Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York has submitted a proposal to the Senate that would set getting a driver’s license into a multi-tier process rather than the two steps it is today.

The act would have the first level stay the same with the new teen driver being issued a permit. The only difference is that it would be illegal for permit drivers to text or talk on a cell phone while driving.

The second level is a restricted license at age 16. The driver would be restricted from driving at night and also from texting and talking on a cell phone while driving. An unrestricted license would not be issued until age 18, different from the unrestricted license that is now issued at age 16.

Driver’s licensing is similar to insurance; it can vary from state to state. Some states have very loose rules such as a driver can be issued a  permit  at age 14 and a license at age 15. Other states already adopt a graduated licensing approach like the one that is trying to make its way through the Senate.

The difference is that if the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act is passed and put into effect that this would be a federal law. Meaning that each state will have to adopt this law instead of the licensing laws being different from one state to another.

Because drivers that are age 16-17 will be restricted from driving at night their driving exposure is cut to half of what it was previously. Also, with restrictions on cell phone usage while driving, one would reason that there should be a decrease in insurance premium for their teen driver.

Of course, this all will depend on the insurance company. If your teen has restrictions on their license right now ask you agent how it makes a difference on your insurance premium. Also if your insurance company offers any discounts for a restricted teen license.

Also as more and more statistics are being released to confirm that restricting teen driving time does decrease teen accidents we may see insurance rates start to be more reasonable for this group.

Please also understand what is Named drivers restriction and how this would affect the auto insurance rates.

Taylor Lautner : This is my fisrt year driving in the winter. I want to avoid an auto accident where can I find information on how to prepare for the winter. How can I keep my auto insurance premium low?

Response : Taylor this is a very important question since the know how is very important for driving in winter since this will information be very crucial in not only safe-guarding your car and keeping the auto insurance rate low by avoiding accidents, but what is most important is it can save lives. Life is valuable. Over the years in the insurance field, I have gathered a lot of information and here are a few tips for winter preperation for you and your friends. Car insurance and car accidents are dependent on weather.

1.Create a Safety Kit. Be prepared with safety essentials in your car, including extra windshield wiper fluid, warm gloves and a hat, flashlight, remote jump starter, tire gauge, safety flares and a blanket.
2. Give Your Vehicle a Check Up. Avoid unnecessary accidents by taking a few minutes to check your vehicle before heading out.
3Use a small tire gauge to check your tires, as cold weather will lower their pressure.
4 Make sure taillights, headlights, blinkers and the horn are in good working order.
5.Play it Safe in the Dark. With shopping season in high gear, heavy traffic is more common, and nightfall comes earlier. When driving at night:
Avoid using any light inside your vehicle.
Use edge lines and center lines of the roadway as guides.
If street lights cause glare, dim your dashboard lights and use your sun visor.
6.Prevent Glare. Snowfall and other precipitation can serve up severe road glare:
Be prepared with a pair of sunglasses.
Avoid foggy blotches on your windows by cleaning the inside of your windshield regularly.
Consider using winter wiper blades designed to handle heavier road debris and snow.
7.Buckle Your Bundles. Loose gifts can be dangerous distractions, less than half of drivers (43 percent) secure their packages on the floor or buckle them down.

The most important thing to do in the winter is to see the weather and be prepared. You can also have your membership with a road assisstant company before hand so that you can get help when you need it. I am sure you will pick up the due diligence very soon since there is no greater teacher than yourself.

Happy and safe driving. Am sure you will be safe and you can also review auto insurance quotes so that you are sure you have the correct coverage before the winter starts. Once you make sure that you can avoid accidents and do not get tickets, you will qualify for discounts and also low auto insurance quote. Compare auto insurance quote from time to time to find out if there are any additional discounts for which you would qaulify.
Thanks.
Kamlesh