According to the Florida Highway Safety and Automobile Department, approximately 200,000 car accidents happen annually in the state of Florida. In 2016, 6,545 reported accidents involving teen drivers ages 18-20 were recorded.
If your child is about to get a driver’s license, here are some things that you need to know about driving in the state of Florida as a teenager.
Florida Teen Driving Laws
A learner’s permit can be obtained at the age of 15, but a teen can only drive during daylight hours for a period of 90-days after obtaining a learner’s permit.
- Following the 90-day daylight probation period, teens can drive until 10 pm.
- After a teen has had a permit for a period of one-year -- with 50-hours of practice -- they can apply for a driver’s license.
- At the age of 16, a licensed teenage driver can only drive from 6 AM to 11 PM.
- A 17-year old licensed teenager can drive between the hours of 5 AM and 1 AM
- At the age of 18, teens can drive at any time unless otherwise stated by a court.
Note: teens with learner’s permits must always drive with a licensed adult -- no exceptions.
Insuring Your Teen
Adding a teen to your insurance policy increases payments 44% (on average) for a one-car family. If you have two or more cars, you can expect your payments to increase anywhere from 58% to more than 62%. It may sound like putting your teen on his or her own policy is a way to avoid these increases but we promise it isn’t!
Obtaining a separate car insurance policy for your teen can cost thousands of dollars annually with the average being around $2,000. Some ways to try and reduce that additional driver include:
- Finding an insurance company that offers reduced rates for good students
- Comparing rates and companies
- Asking about discounts for monitored driving and driver’s education classes
- Stressing the importance of a clean driving record to your child
Putting your teen behind the wheel of an automobile can mean a steep increase in insurance rates, but those rates tend to decrease around the age of 25. Until then, keep your teen on your policy and know the laws in order to keep insurance rates down.
