Well, it's because that age group is often considered the highest risk when it comes to driving. Those between 16 and 19 years of age are said to be at the most risk for motor vehicle accidents. This is because driving is new to this population. Less experience and less confidence often leads to more mistakes. This is normal, as learning to drive requires learning a lot of information and new skills. Many teens are extremely responsible and careful drivers, but being new to driving means they are more prone to making driving mistakes. As they grow older and drive more often, the likelihood of these mistakes goes down along with car insurance rates.

Car insurance rates are also higher for teens and college students because alcohol and driving under the influence unfortunately is not an uncommon occurrence with this age group. This age group is often experiencing alcohol for the first time and their ability to be responsible and follow the law may not always line up with their desire to have fun or fit in with their friends. More than 1/3 of fatal car accidents caused by alcohol involved those between 21 and 24 years of age. Even college students who are able to drink legally at that point in time may not act responsibly when consuming alcohol and needing to drive. Almost 40% of college students are considered binge drinkers and almost 20% of college-age drivers admit to driving under the influence.

Because of these reasons, college students and teens are more much more likely to file a car insurance claim because of an accident on the road. Insurance companies will account for that probability when they set the insurance rate.

While more expensive car insurance may make sense for a population more likely to end up in an accident or incident on the road, that does not mean that the population itself is the best one to pay those high prices. Teens often have part-time jobs along with their school responsibilities and college students are regularly referred to as "broke".

So, how can a college student or teen needing a car pay less for their car insurance? Let's check out some potential discounts and ways to lower your rates as a college student:

Distant College Student Discount: Many car insurance companies will lower your rates or premium if you do not need your car for school and decide to leave it at home. They will adjust your premium to reflect the time you will actually spend driving the car whenever you are back at home.

Good Student Discount Rates: Insurance companies value responsibility. Responsibility can reflect how safe of a driver you are. Being a good student and earning good grades is a way to lower your insurance rates. Many companies will lower your premium if you are working hard and participating well in school and your classes.

Driver's Education Courses: Many insurance companies will lower your rates or offer a discount if you are willing to attend driving education courses. These courses help retain your driving skills and abilities and companies will highly value what you learn in them as these courses can improve your driving and result in fewer accidents or mistakes on the road.

University Discounts: Some insurance companies will offer discounts for those currently enrolled at certain universities.

Student Organizations Discounts: Many car insurance companies will offer discounted rates to students involved in certain clubs or honor societies. Fraternities and Sororities may be offered discounts as well.

Car Upgrades: Installing certain gadgets into your vehicle can help lower your premiums as well. Anti-theft devices or car alarms may give you a discount at certain insurance companies and many value the reliability of GPS systems and may offer discounts for those who have certain navigation systems as well. Dash-cams can also be a valuable investment if you are looking to save money on your car insurance. Dash-cams help prevent theft and can prevent false claims from being made about your driving or an accident. Insurance companies will often offer discounts for those who install those into the front of their car.

Decrease Your Mileage: Many insurance companies will offer discounted rates if your annual mileage is significantly lower than the national average

Drive a Safer Car: Purchasing a car with extra safety features may lower your insurance rates as well. Anti-lock brakes, automatic emergency braking, and forward-collision warnings are a few features your company may consider when lowering your rates. Since many college students and teens cannot afford new or fancy cars with extra safety features, insurance companies also often offer discounted rates for those driving used cars as well. They are cheaper to fix and insurance companies will often take that into consideration when setting insurance rates.

One last way to lower your car insurance? Be a better, safer driver. The stereotype that teens and college students are not safe drivers does not have to be true. Those with clean driving records pay less for insurance because they are less likely to get in an accident. Even if you are a teen are college student, you can have a clean record and this can help you lower your insurance rates in the long run. Be mindful, careful, and safe.