When your teenager starts driving, you have a lot on your plate worrying about their safety on the road. One more item to add to your concerns is the rise in your insurance rates when you add your new, inexperienced driver on your policy. Fortunately, there are a couple of things that can help you lower the cost of your car insurance when you have a teenage driver.

1. Encourage Your Teen to Do Well in School

One way that you may be able to reduce the cost of your auto insurance premiums for your teenager is to encourage your child to do well in school. Many insurance companies reward good students who are able to keep their grades up by lowering the cost of your policy.

The main reason why companies offer this discount is that if your teen does well in school, it shows the company that they are responsible enough to care about their grades. If your child has higher than a "B" average, you can show the insurance agent your teen's report card and ask if they offer discounts.

However, your teenager will need to keep their grades up, so encourage them to do so. You may want to give them extra driving privileges as an incentive for their good grades.

2. Enroll Your Teenager in a Course for Safe Driving

Since your teenager has not been driving for very long, they do not have the experience to deal with unexpected problems while they are driving. This is one of the reasons why insurance companies charge higher premiums since it is more likely that a teenager will have an accident than an adult.

One way you can offset this inexperience while lowering your insurance rates is to enroll your teen in a course that teaches safe and defensive driving. This type of course will discuss scenarios with the students and teach them what needs to be done when facing these situations.

If they do well in the course, you can show the insurance company their certificate. The adjuster may be able to give you a discount.

The above suggestions are only a couple of ways that you may be able to lower your premiums when you have a teenage driver at home. Contact a representative about additional available discounts and programs that you can apply to your automobile insurance plan that can help reduce the cost while still ensuring that your teenager is fully covered.