Your teens probably think that getting their driver licenses and their first cars are two of the most important Rights of Passage in their young lives. However, for you as a parent, it could also be one of the most nerve wracking. You can't always be in the driver's seat with them, you just have to hope you have given them the proper tools to make the right decisions behind the wheel – and you can protect them with the right auto insurance.

It is a sobering fact that your fears regarding your teen-age driver are not unfounded. The statistics for young drivers are not good. 16-year-olds get into auto accidents nearly six times more often than do drivers between the age of 30 and 59, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

It should come as no surprise then, that auto insurance rates for drivers under 25 are higher than for any other age group.

However that doesn't mean you cannot find affordable auto insurance rates for your teenage driver. Here are some tips on how you may be able to lower the cost of your teen driver insurance.

• Teach safe driving techniques. The best way bar none to obtain and to keep low auto insurance rates for your teen drivers is to make sure they have a clean driving record. The bets way to avoid tickets and accidents is to make sure your teen totally understands, and follows the rules of the road. And set a good example by following them yourself!
• Add your teen to your policy. While his or her age will still effect the rates, if you add your teenage son or daughter to your existing auto insurance policy, they will still benefit from some of the discounts on your plan, and the monthly premiums will be less then they would be if you purchased a separate policy for them.
• Good grades pay off. Good grades pay off in life and in auto insurance. Many auto insurers offer discounts of as much as 10% to teen drivers with a 3.0 grade point average or higher. So, here is a creative tip, find out from your company exactly what the difference in cost is per month, and offer to give that difference in cash to your teen. This will lower your insurance rates, and encourage your teen to keep up the good work!
• Take Driver's Ed. Many auto insurance companies offer discounts to teen drivers who take and pass qualifying driver education courses.
• Forget the sports car. Even if your teen has his or her heart set on that little red corvette, don't you do it. Buying your teen a conservative car with the latest safety equipment, will not only lower your insurance rates, it will be a lot less temptation for them to live life in the fast lane.
• Be sure to speak to your teens about drinking and driving. You know you have to talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol, and you probably already have, but you really need to hammer home, where they don't mix is on the road. Drinking and driving is not only dangerous, fool hardy, and potentially fatal - one DUI can send your teens auto insurance rates through the roof. Some parents make a “contract” with their kids – that if they feel they are too drunk, or stoned to get behind the wheel they can call to be picked up - no questions asked. That could be a hard deal as a parent to make, but burying your child, or having them deal with the lifelong consequences of killing someone else - is a lot harder.
• If they get a ticket, send them to school. If your teen gets a ticket, and the Judge gives them the opportunity to avoid “points” on his or her license by going to traffic school, take this opportunity, not only will it protect your auto insurance rates from going up, your son or daughter might just learn something about safer driving!

Following the above suggestions might not relive all of your anxiety whenever your teen asks for the car keys, but they may just keep your auto insurance rates a little lower, and you kids a little safer, and there is nothing wrong with that.