When I put my daughter on my insurance policy, my insurance rates more than quadrupled. But still, I thought “Thank God she’s a girl and not a boy.” Even when I was a kid, car insurance was always higher for young men than it was for young women that age. In doing the math, I realized that, if she had been born a “son” it would have been cheaper to send her to Sweden to get a sex change than it would have cost to pay the higher insurance rates for that of a teenage boy. So, why are boy vs girl insurance rates so different? Of course, insurance rates are based on gender, age and location. Teenage boys fall into a high-risk profile automatically and are usually stuck with higher rates than girls. So, why is car insurance more expensive for young males? Well, a higher percentage of males under 25 are arrested for DUIs than girls that age. Males this age also have more accidents, engage in reckless driving and don’t wear their seatbelts. This really surprised me, though. I thought it was typically drivers my parents’ generation that do not wear seatbelts. My Mother says that the seatbelt is uncomfortable and will wrinkle her outfit. Not that going through the windshield won’t put a wrinkle in someone’s outfit…and their head…etc. But I have been asking boys in my Defensive Driving classes if they wear a seatbelt. And a lot of them admit they don’t. They say it’s just not cool. Really?
Another reason for the rate difference is that male teenagers tend to be full of testosterone and can be more aggressive and take more risks and drive with less caution. So, how can you keep your son’s insurance rates affordable? Well, driving an older model car until he’s 25 may help. And a higher grade point average helps as well. So, stay in school kids! One day, your insurance rates will be low.
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Boy vs Girl Insurance Rates – Comedy Defensive Driving