Back-to-school season brings a change in routine for families. Students are returning to classrooms, parents are adjusting schedules, and for some households, a new school year also means a new driver behind the wheel or a college student moving away from home.
These changes can affect more than the daily family schedule. They may also affect your insurance needs.
A teenager earning a driver's license, a college student taking a vehicle to campus, or a student moving into an apartment are all good reasons to review your current insurance policies. Taking a little time to check your coverage before the school year gets busy can help make sure your policies continue to reflect how your family lives, drives, and protects its belongings.
Adding a Teen Driver to Your Auto Insurance
Learning to drive is a major milestone for teenagers and their families. It also creates new responsibilities, including making sure the new driver is properly insured.
Insurance needs for teen drivers can vary by company, policy, and state. Parents should contact their insurance company or agent when a teenager begins driving to understand when the teen needs to be added to the policy.
Before making any policy changes, families may want to ask their insurance agent a few questions about how a new driver could affect their coverage and costs.
- When does my teen need to be added to the policy?
- How will adding a teen driver affect my premium?
- Should we review or increase our liability limits?
- Are our current comprehensive and collision deductibles still appropriate?
- Do you need to know if my teen drives to school or work regularly?
- Are there any state-specific rules or restrictions we should know about?
- Should we consider additional coverages?
The licensed insurance agents at InsureOnline.com are available to discuss your personal auto insurance needs. We can comparison shop in our network of insurance companies and help find coverage that best meets your family's needs and budget. Enter your zip code to start your quote or call us at (844) 358-5605 to get started.
Driver's Education Is Only the Beginning
Driver's education can help a new driver learn the rules of the road, but developing safe driving habits takes continued practice.
Parents can help by setting clear expectations about speeding, distracted driving, seat belt use, passengers, nighttime driving, and other situations a new driver may encounter. Teen drivers should understand that driving safely means staying focused every time they get behind the wheel.
Phones and other distractions should be put away while driving. New drivers should also learn to leave enough distance between vehicles, adjust their driving for rain or other weather conditions, watch carefully for pedestrians and cyclists, and avoid driving when tired or impaired.
Families may also want to establish rules about who is allowed to drive each household vehicle. If a teenager regularly begins using a different vehicle, or receives a vehicle of their own, contact your insurance agent to make sure the policy information remains accurate.
As your teen gains more experience behind the wheel, it may be a good time to make sure your auto insurance still matches your family's needs. The licensed insurance agents at InsureOnline.com can help review your coverage, answer questions about adding a young driver, and compare available options. Call (844) 358-5605 to speak with an agent today or start a quote online.
Is Your College Student Taking a Car to School?
College creates another set of changes for families. If your student is taking a vehicle to college, tell your insurance company or agent where the vehicle will normally be kept during the school year. A move to a different city or state may affect policy details, rates, or coverage requirements, depending on the insurer, the vehicle's location, and how it will be used.
A student who previously drove only around home may now be commuting to class, driving to work, parking in a campus garage, or keeping the vehicle outside at an apartment complex. These changes can affect the information the insurance company needs to keep the policy accurate.
Are you not sure how sending a student off to college may affect your personal auto insurance? The licensed insurance agents at InsureOnline.com can help review your current coverage, answer questions about personal auto insurance, and help you understand your options. Call (844) 358-5605 to talk today.
If your student is attending college without taking a vehicle, do not automatically remove them from your personal auto policy. They may still drive when they return home for weekends, holidays, or school breaks. Have a conversation with your insurance agent to make sure your policy reflects how and where the family vehicles are being used for the school year.
Moving Into a Dorm or Apartment
Students often take laptops, phones, clothing, furniture, and other belongings with them when they move into a dorm or apartment.
When a student moves away from home, families should find out how those belongings are protected. Depending on the policy and living situation, some property belonging to a student in a dorm may have limited coverage under a parent's homeowners or renters insurance policy. Coverage limits, deductibles, and restrictions can apply, so families should review their policy rather than assume everything is covered.
Students moving into an off-campus apartment should also consider renters insurance. A landlord's insurance generally protects the building itself, but not the tenant's personal property. Renters insurance may help cover belongings after certain covered losses and can also include liability protection. Fill in our form to get a free renters insurance quote.
Students sharing an apartment should not assume one policy automatically covers every roommate. Coverage often applies only to the named insured or others specifically covered by the policy. Each student should review their own situation.
Common belongings to consider including with a renters insurance policy:
- Laptops, tablets, and phones
- Clothing and furniture
- Bicycles and sporting equipment
- Gaming systems and electronics
- Cameras and musical instruments
- Jewelry and other valuable items
- Textbooks and school supplies
Some policies may have special limits for certain types of property, especially higher-value items. Students and families should review policy details and ask whether additional coverage may be appropriate.
Creating a basic inventory of items when you move in can be helpful. Photos, receipts, serial numbers, and model information can make it easier to document belongings if something is stolen or damaged in a covered loss.
Before move-in day, families may want to ask their insurance agent how the student's belongings are covered, whether renters insurance is needed, whether valuable items have special limits, and whether roommates need separate policies. Reviewing these details ahead of time can help reduce potential coverage gaps.
Have questions about renters insurance or how a student's belongings may be covered while away at school? The licensed insurance agents at InsureOnline.com can help you review your current coverage and explore options that fit your family's needs. Call (844) 358-5605 to get started.
Back-to-School Insurance Checklist
As your family prepares for the school year, take a few minutes to review the insurance considerations covered above. Changes such as a new teen driver, a student taking a car to college, or a move into a dorm or apartment can all affect your family's insurance needs.
Use this checklist as a final review:
- Notify your insurance agent when a teenager begins driving.
- Review your auto insurance coverage limits and deductibles.
- Ask about available teen driver, good-student, or driver education discounts.
- Make sure regular drivers and vehicles are properly listed on the policy.
- Review family expectations for safe and responsible driving.
- Tell your insurer if a college student is taking a vehicle to school.
- Confirm where the student's vehicle will be kept during the school year.
- Review how a student's belongings are covered while living in a dorm.
- Consider renters insurance for students living in off-campus housing.
- Check whether valuable belongings may have special coverage limits.
- Create an inventory of belongings being taken to school.
- Contact your insurance agent when a move or other major household change affects how your vehicles or property are used.
Back-to-school season can bring several changes at once. Reviewing these items before classes begin can help make sure your policies continue to reflect how your family drives, where students are living, and how their belongings are protected.
About InsureOnline.com
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