Living in Winter Park, we are surrounded by incredible universities. We have Rollins College right up the road, UCF nearby, my alma mater, and Valencia College, plus Full Sail down the street. Because of this, we see a lot of parents coming in to buy new cars for their kids or dropping them off for the semester. A huge part of our business is making sure those new car owners (your kids) have the right insurance.

I have two boys myself, so I know exactly what it takes to have a sincere conversation with young people. Teenagers and college students often don’t enjoy talking to adults; they can be skeptical and they pick up very quickly if you are “bullshitting” them. But I have so many stories where kids tell their parents, “You know what? I don’t want to call the 1-800 number. I will call Pragasen”. They feel comfortable stopping by the office because they know we treat them with respect and we have all the time in the day to help them understand their coverage.

The biggest question parents have is about cost. Young drivers typically don’t have an established insurance score yet, which drives premiums up. We all want the highest coverage possible (especially in Florida) but we have to match that with affordability.

My best advice? We encourage parents to be included on the policy. The minute you introduce a mom or dad with a strong credit history and insurance score onto that policy, we are often able to significantly reduce the premium. If the student has a clean driving record with no collisions since getting their license at 16, and we add a parent, we can sometimes keep the policy around $1,000 to $1,500. It allows the student to have their own policy while still benefiting from your history. It is a smart way to get them the protection they need without breaking the bank.