Are you the proud parent of a new teenage driver? Do you have all of the legal coverage that you need? Many parents assume that just having their teen driver insured through their automobile insurer is enough. In many cases that may be all of the coverage that they ever need, but did you know that you can do more?
Pre-paid legal services may not be something that you are familiar with, but it works in a similar fashion as health insurance does. You pay a fixed amount of money each month regardless of how many of the covered legal services you require. Some months you may not require any legal services and other months you may need a lot of legal help.
The types of legal services that you can obtain will vary from company to company, but generally include: phone consultations, phone calls or letters on your behalf from an attorney, personal document reviews, business document reviews, and help with legal documents like wills, guardianship papers, or property deeds.
Typically, the pre-paid legal service that you choose will have a customer service number or website. When you need to consult with an attorney you get in touch with the company. They will then put you in touch with an attorney in your area that works in the field that you need. When you think about it, it really is like insurance. You get to choose an attorney that is in your provider network, just like you do with your health plan.
You may wonder what pre-paid legal services have to do with teenage drivers? Well, teenage drivers often get into minor scrapes with the law when they first begin driving. From speeding tickets, to texting while driving, or running a stop sign, teens, more than any other age category, commit offences that result in a court appearances. When this happens, if you have retained the services of a pre-paid legal team then they will send a lawyer in your area to represent your teen in court.
And if your teen has the misfortune of being involved in a more serious traffic violation, such as an accident where someone is injured, a pre-paid legal service can help with this too. A lawyer will be provided to represent your teen and your family in this instance as well. The attorney will show up in court to make sure that your teens interests are well represented.
Having a teen driver in the family can be a stressful time for parents, and knowing that you have legal counsel on call can make you feel a lot more comfortable. You also never know when you might need some legal advice of your own. From reading over contracts, to bankruptcy questions, or helping you to prepare your will, you never know when the counsel of a lawyer will come in handy.
In addition to legal coverage, as a parent there are a lot of things that you can do to help make your teen a safe driver:
- Having them attend driver's safety education classes
- Making sure that they know the importance of not being on their cell phone while driving
- Encourage them to pay attention to the road and not the radio
- Caution them to observe safety precautions in inclement weather
- Demand that they never drive after using drugs or alcohol.
Many parents choose to include these points as in a driving contract with their teen drivers. Typically the contract will have several different stages that are set to last a specific amount of time. For example, after a three month span of time, the teen can extend their driving privileges if there are no incidents. During the first stage the teen may only be allowed to drive in their own neighborhood, during daylight hours, and dry conditions.
During the second stage of the driving contract the restrictions may include driving on busier roads, in light rain, up until 8 pm. In progressive stages the contract typically allows for driving in higher traffic areas, in different weather conditions, and driving later at night. These contracts almost never include having any passengers in the car with a new teen driver until all of the conditions of all stages of the contract between the teen and the parent have been met.
Sadly, more teen accidents occur when teens are either on their cell phones or have additional teen passengers in the car. Teens do not always respond favorably to the terms of the driving contract because they feel as though they are being punished. However, in time with open lines of communication, they should see the benefit of it and they will be much better drivers for it.
In addition to the driving contract, some parents also elect to have a GPS tracking system installed on their family vehicles. These GPS systems are discreet and most can be monitored from any smartphone or computer. The monitoring capabilities vary from system to system but most can tell you the location, driving habits, and speed of the vehicle. Some systems even allow you to set-up a perimeter and will notify you when the vehicle has gone out of bounds.
Not only does having pre-paid legal advice provide you the benefit of a lawyer when you need it, but it may also save you some money on your insurance. Having your child attend driver's safety education classes, having a GPS tracking system placed on your car, and setting up a driver's safety contract with your teen can save you money on your car insurance with some insurance companies. This savings usually comes in addition to the traditional honor student and safe driver discounts.
Of course you want the best for your teen driver, and there are many things that you can do to keep them safe and teach them to be the best driver that they can be. In addition to driver safety, and demonstrating good driving techniques yourself, having a pre-paid legal team on your side is just another layer of protection for both your teen and your family. Like any other service you would purchase, you should do a little research before choosing a pre-paid legal plan, to make sure that the cost, matched with the benefits, meets your family's needs.
Gerard Cassagnol is a professional writer and marketer of legal plans and identity theft plans for individuals, families, and small businesses. He has subscribed to a legal plan for more than 15 years and has been an advocate of affordable legal representation and coverage in the USA and Canada. He has written numerous articles on legal and identity theft issues of the day.
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