Good Student Insurance

There are countless things that make a parent worry instantly. One of those is when your teenage child starts driving. Not only do you worry about the safety and well being of your child you are probably asking yourself what this is going to do to your insurance rates. At some point studies showed that there was a correlation between good grades and safe driving. Insurance companies began offering good student discounts for teenage drivers who did well in school. If you have a smart kid, get out those report cards and talk to your insurance agent. First of all, let's see who and what exactly qualifies your child for good student insurance.

The guidelines vary from state to state, but generally to receive the good student discount, a driver must be at least 16 years of age and not older than 24. The must be full time students, which means in college that is normally 12 credit hours, or of course a full time high school student. A student must have at least a "B" average; qualify for the "Dean's List" or "Honor Roll", or be in the upper 20% of his or her class.

To qualify for this, you will have to provide proof to your insurance company in the form of a report card or a letter from your child's principal or dean. The discount is applied once a year, usually at renewal. Also, this is not something that your insurance company is going to automatically do. Each year you will have to provide the proof and you will have to take the initiative and stay on top of this. You can bet that the discount will be removed from the policy if the proper documentation is not provided.

Another thing to do is to check if your child is eligible for an additional discount if he or she completed an official student driving course as opposed to learning just from a parent.

Once again, the rules for the good student driver discount vary from state to state. Also, they vary widely by provider. Check with your current insurance carrier to see if your student qualifies and how much that discount will be. Of course it pays to shop around and find the best deal for your current situation. Many companies offer this discount and we have taken a look at three companies that offer good student insurance.

Progressive: Located at www.progressive.com, this is a company that if you have been near a television recently you have heard of. They offer good student insurance discounts and they are proud of it. Their website is easy to navigate, and you can have a quote from them in literally minutes.

State Farm: The word "farm" makes us all feel warm and fuzzy, and we have all heard of State Farm Insurance. They boast that you can find coverage for your teen online and save up to 40% on your auto insurance. Head over to www.statefarm.com and check out how they can work for you.

Geico: This is the company with the talking lizard, or Gecko to be more precise. They offer a quote in 15 minutes or less by calling them or heading over to their website at www.geico.com. Like the others, they are a nationwide company that understands the laws in your specific state and they of course offer good student insurance discounts.

Perhaps this information can ease your anxiety a little when adding that teen to your insurance policy. Arm yourself with as much information as possible as well as your child's report card to find the best deal out there.