Teenage Driver Tips

Congratulations! By now you're counting the days until you receive your drivers license. In preparation, you're being flooded with all kinds of important information while learning to drive.

Before you take the wheel on your first solo cruise, there is one more thing you should know about California car insurance insurance. Look this information over before you start driving and then discuss the information with your parents or guardian and a Ken Donaldson Mercury Insurance representative.

Driving Tips

Teens are generally inexperienced and tend to make more driving mistakes. Although you may feel comfortable behind the wheel, driving experience takes time and practice. Follow these tips while driving.

• Always be alert when driving - keep your eyes and ears open.
• Stay focused on your driving - don't be distracted by passengers, the radio, or a cellular phone.
• Always wear your seatbelt - seatbelts can reduce the risk of fatal accidents.
• Don't drink and drive - statistics show that 60% of teenagers involved in auto accidents have been drinking.

California Law

California law requires you to have insurance before you drive. After you pay for your policy, your insurance company will send you an insurance card that you should keep in your vehicle. If you get caught driving without insurance, you face a fine and suspension. You can be penalized for driving without insurance in any vehicle.

Factors That May Affect The Mercury Insurance Premium

Rating factors are characteristics that place you in a group of drivers with similar risk-related characteristics. Companies, such as Mercury General, set a rate for each group based on the claims paid for the people in that group. Here are some tips that may lower your insurance premiums

• Keep a clean driving record. Drivers with accidents and tickets usually pay higher premiums than those with good driving records.
• Choose your vehicle carefully. Certain vehicles cost more to insure because they're more likely to be damaged in an accident, cost more to repair, or are frequently stolen. If you have a sports car or a high performance car you may have a hard time finding insurance at standard rates. And if your car is a "street machine" or is "souped-up," there's an even greater chance that you'll pay a lot more for your insurance.
• Drive a vehicle with safety features such as air bags, automatic seatbelts, and anti-lock brakes.

Insurance Terms You Should Know

• Bodily Injury Liability - Insurance that pays for another person's bodily injury or death in an automobile accident that you caused.
• Property Damage Liability - Insurance that pays for damage you cause to someone else's property in an automobile accident.
• Medical Payments - Insurance that pays the medical and funeral expenses, up to the limits purchased, for you or any passengers riding in your car at the time of an accident. Medical payments will provide coverage whether you or someone else caused the accident.
• Collision - Insurance that pays for damages to your own car if it is involved in a collision, regardless of who is at fault. Collision coverage may carry a deductible - a stated amount that you must first pay out of your own pocket.
• Comprehensive - Insurance that pays for non-collision losses to your car such as fire, theft, flood, hail, vandalism, glass breakage, and falling objects.
• Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury - Insurance that pays for bodily injury or death to you and your passengers if an uninsured driver strikes your car. This coverage does not pay for damages to your car. If you do not have collision insurance, you may purchase uninsured motorist property damage coverage. This coverage offers very limited protection and should be discussed with your insurance producer/agent.

What You Should Do if You Have an Accident

1. Get medical help for anyone who may be injured.
2. Call the police and follow their instruction. If you are in an unsafe area, you may relocate to the nearest police station or public place and then call the police.
3. Get names, addresses, telephone numbers, and insurance information of anyone involved in or witnessing the accident.
4. Call your parents or guardian and tell them what has happened and where you are located.
5. Notify your Mercury Insurance.

Emergency Information

Keep the following information in a safe place in your vehicle for ready reference in the event of an emergency:

Mercury Insurance Company Information:

Policy #:

Agent's Name:

Agent's Phone #:

Police Dept. Phone #:

Towing Company:

Towing Co. Phone #:

If you're in an accident with another driver, don't forget to ask:

Driver's Name:

Driver's Address:

Driver's Phone #:

Insurance Card Information:

Witness's Name:

Witness's Address:

Witness's Phone #:

At Ken Donaldson Insurance Agency we want you to be an informed Mercury Insurance customer.