Reader’s Question:

My girlfriend and I were discussing about our vehicles insurance. When we compared, hers is cheaper than mine. Why is this the case if we are both 18 years old?

Don

Miami, FL

This is not a case of discrimination but rather, a case of statistics.

Young male drivers are, sadly, considered as drivers that carry the highest risks among all vehicle owners. After all, young male drivers are still excited over the prospect of owning their own vehicle that they go to great lengths of showing off their new-found freedom. More often than not, young male drivers disregard speed limits and adorn their vehicles with flashy accessories. Statistics also show that young male drivers are the most likely to figure in serious vehicular mishaps that may result in severe damage to property or even loss of life. As such, the young male driver group usually takes out the most claims from insurance companies and the most expensive ones at that.

Young female drivers, on the other hand, are considered safer than young male drivers, due to their more sensible approach in owning and caring for a vehicle. However, research shows that they are next to young male drivers in taking out expensive claims, since they also figure into vehicular accidents because of their inexperience. The only up side here is, young female driver vehicles insurance tends to be cheaper than young male driver vehicles insurance because of the relatively reduced risks in driving.